LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

^sp- - (Bnit^rig^t l?n 

UNITED STATES OF AMEBIOA. 



INDEX 



PAGE. 

Frontispiece — Likeness of Miller Willis 1 

Title page 3 

Dedication 5 

Preface 6 

Introduction, by Rev. W. A. Dodge 7-8 

CHAPTER I. 

His Parents— Birthplace — Early Childhood, Youth, and 

Going to Sea 9-18 

CHAPTER II. 

His Life of Wickedness Continues — Becoming Worse 
and Worse Until it Almost Eventuates in a Horrible 
Murder 19-25 

CHAPTER III. 

His Experience in the Army, Including His Conversion in 
1864, and the Life He Lived, and the Work He Did in 
the Church and Sunday-school 26-32 

CHAPTER IV. 

Miller Willis as a Member and Worker in the Church and 
Sunday-school Continued, from His Joining in 1864 to 
1877, Including Some Thrilling Experiences in Push- 
ing the Work of Soul-saving 33-43 



CHAPTER V. 

His First Visit to Thomson Circuit, North Georgia Confer- 
ence, and What Resulted to Himself, and the Good 
Through Him that Came to Others 44-55 

% 

CHAPTER VI. 

In Charleston, S. C— His First Experience in Open Air 
Meetings, together with Many Other Exciting Scenes 
and Narrow Escapes with His Life, which He Passed 
Through in Prosecuting His Work 55-64 

CHAPTER VII. 

A Continuation of His Work, Including Experiences 
that Remind the Reader of the Heroic Days of Meth- 
odism — A Policeman Waiting at the Door of the 
Church to take Him to Jail 65-72 

CHAPTER VIII. 

His Visit to the Circuit, North Georgia Conference, 

and the Work of God in that Charge while He was 
There — Taken from His Memorandum Book 73-81 

CHAPTER IX. 

With Rev. E. B. Rees on Fairmont Circuit, North Geor- 
gia Conference — An Account of the Wonderful 
Work of Grace on that Charge as Related hy Him- 
self, Together with an Article Written by Rev. W. 
A. Parks, and Published in the Wesleyan Christian 
Advocate 82-88 

CHAPTER X. 

Miller Willis and the Holiness Movement 89-93 



CHAPTER XL 

Miller Willis as a Bible Student 94-108 

CHAPTER Xn. 

A Short Chapter Giving a Few Samples of Miller's Let- 
ters, Together with Some Answers from Correspon- 
dents 109-119 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Miller Willis' Scrap Book 120-165 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Millis Willis, by Rev. R. W. Bigham, of North Georgia 

Conference 166-176 

CHAPTER XV. 

Miller Willis, by Rev. R. W. Bigham, Continued 177-190 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Impression of Miller Willis, by Rev. C. C. Carey, of the 

North Georgia Conference, M. E. Church, South. .191-198 

CHAPTER XVIL 

Miller Willis, (from Rev. M. D. Smith, of North Georgia 

Conference) 199-206 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Letter from Rev. T. B. Reynolds, of the Florida Confer- 
ence, M. E. Church, South : 207-211 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Letters from R. K. Moseley, Seward, Ga. ; Rev. James 
L. Ivey, Rutledge, Ga., and Dr. H. V. Hard wick, of 
Conyers, Ga 212-221 

CHAPTER XX. 

Letter to the Editor from Brother Sam^ Hunter, of Ath- 
ens, Ga 222-233 

CHAPTER XXI. 

From Robt. A. Adam, His Brother-in-law 234-251 

CHAPTER XXII. 

Funeral Service in Honor of Brother Miller Willis at St. 

James Church, Augusta, Ga., July 16, 4 o'clock p. m. . 252-268 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

Articles from Various Newspapers, Christian and Secu- 
lar, on the Life and Death of Miller Willis 268-276 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

MiUer Willis Articles Copied from Newspapers Contin- 
ued 277-286 

CHAPTER XXV. 

His Last Days 287-293 




S. MILLER WILLIS. 



LIFE 



OF 



S. MILLER WILLIS, 



The Fire Baptized Lay Evangelist. 



A MAN WHO LITERALLY TOOK GOD AT HIS WORD 

FOR TWENTY-SIX YEARS, AND YET NEVER 

WANTED FOR ANY GOOD THING. 



BY y 
REV. W. C. DUNLAP. 



ATLANTA, GA. 



CONSTITUTION PUBLISHING COMPANY. 
1892. 









Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1892, 

By The Constitution Publishing Company, 

in the Office of_t^aiiia»»i«irtffjQongress, at W ashington. 




PREFACE. 



The compilation and editorial work involved in the 
preparation of the Life of Miller Willis has been 
performed under the peculiar disadvantages of an itin- 
erant ministry. When first commenced the Editor was 
in a city pastorate with seven hundred members. Then 
came a move of two hundred and seventy miles, into a 
Presiding Eldership of eighteen charges, embracing 
nearly ten counties in Northwest Georgia. The work 
was undertaken for the Glory of God, and in response 
to what seemed the practically unanimous call from my 
brethren. I need hardly say that love for our dear 
Miller has been a strong incentive from the beginning. 
The work makes no pretensions to any literary merit. 
The Editor has striven, at any cost to mere style or 
grammatical construction, to present a true life picture 
of our glorified friend. With the hope that it may help 
to carry forward the great work of spreading Scriptural 
Holiness, to which Miller Willis, while living, gave all 
his ransomed powers, it is hereby given to the public. 



DEDICATION. 



To the Lord Jesus Christ, first : — and to all those Liv- 
ing and in Glory, second; whose experience and lives 
stand for the great doctrine of Apostolic Christianity — 
Entire Sanctification — and for the Defense and Perpe- 
tuity of which Methodism was. Providentially, under 
John and Charles Wesley, raised up: — this book is 
reverently dedicated. 



INTRODUCTION. 



In sending forth this volume to the public, we are 
aware, that on the line of biography it is hard to find 
anything new. But in this instance we have the life ot 
a man peculiar under grace to himself. He takes his 
place along by the side of the immortal Carvosso, Billy 
Bray, and other men of like character. And as the lives 
of such men are read and blessed to the good of thou- 
sands, we believe that this volume will be read and re- 
read by thousands living and yet unborn to profit. 

We have known of him from our boyhood, and in 
later years much about him from personal observation 
and experience, but from the beginning we have been 
impressed with the fact of his likeness to no other man 
living or dead, that we have seen or of whom we have 
read. He was God's chosen vessel, and a channel 
through whom He could work and speak without let or 
hindrance. His motto was, ^^Obey God, rather than 
man.'' Naturally brave, and, when fully sanctified, he 
became God's hero to do things that no one else would 
think of or dare to do. By some he was thought to be 
cranky, but it was that peculiarity that comes from a 
man, by grace, becoming so much unlike the world and 



VIII 

so much like Christ, that he did not talk and act like the 
world about him. Where he was known best he was 
loved most. While he was as bold as a lion for God 
and the truth, he was never known to lift his voice in 
his own defense. He left all that with Him to whom 
he belonged. "When reviled, he reviled not again. '^ 
With a nature made by grace as gentle as a woman and 
as brave as a lion, he was ready for any work that opened 
up to him. 

The reader will be impressed most of all, with his 
simple child-like faith in every word of sacred truth. 
He accepted every command and promise without ques- 
tioning. " Have faith in God,'' was his watchword. We 
have heard his voice ring out clarion-like many times 
with this text from the lips of his divine Lord. His 
last utterance on earth was; '^Trusting Jesus now and 
forever. Amen.'' We pray that the reading of this book 
may be sanctified to the good of all. 

W. A. DODGE. 



Life of S. Miller Willis, 

The Fire Baptized Lay Evangelist. 



CHAPTER I. 



His Parents — Birthplace — Early Childhood — 
Youth — and Going to Sea. 

S. Miller Willis was the son of A. G. Willis^ who 
died in 1852. His mother was Mrs. Sophronia I. 
Willis, daughter of Dr. J. L. E. W. Sheecut. They 
were both born in Charleston, South Carolina. 

His father was for many years connected with the 
Augusta Constitutionalist. His brothers were Edward, 
Hermon B., Milton H. and James G. He had but one 
sister, Sophronia I., the wife of Mr. Robert M. Adam. 
Of these, only Major Edward Willis, of Charleston, and 
Mrs. Adam, of Spartanburg, S. C, are now living. 

Miller was born in Hamburg, S. C, Jan. 29th, 1839, 
and departed this life July 15tli, 1891 — being fifty-tw^o 
years, six months and six days old at the time of his 
death. 

His parents moved across the Savannah River, into 
Augusta, Ga., when he was an infant. This city he al- 
ways claimed and spoke of as his home. Here his father 



10 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

and mother died and are buried. Here he was brought 
up, except as he rambled off for a time. He was con- 
verted here, and his remains were brought here, and his 
funeral preached, and in her beautiful cemetery his body- 
rests, awaiting the ressurrection of the just. 

In old St. James, of Augusta, he always kept his mem- 
bership, except for a short while — a year or two — he was 
a member of Trinity church, Charleston. He joined the 
church under the ministry of Rev. James E. Evans, of 
blessed memory — '^ Uncle Jimmy,^' as he delighted to 
call him. 

His father dying, left Miller with only his mother to 
guide and control him. He was naturally self-willed and 
impetuous in his disposition. He was of small build, 
low of stature, and of a frail appearance. He was the 
most active boy in school — almost a perfect athlete. He 
enjoyed the advantages of an ordinary education. 

After this brief statement, I come to a somewhat 
lengthy account of his youthful days, as given by him- 
self. I confess to some little hesitancy to giving in de- 
tail, just as he writes it down, all the wickedness he 
charges against himself; but as I wish to preserve the 
true character of the man, I give it in his own language. 
He left this record of his badness, I know, only that he 
might magnify the grace of God, that saved such a 
wretched sinner as he was. No man ever prayed more, 
or labored harder, to get little children converted and to 
keep them from going into sin, than he did. This was 
his standing scripture for children: '^My little children^ 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 11 

these things write I unto you, that ye sin not." I. John, 
ii: 1." We make these references to head off any pos- 
sible license that might be taken by the young that, be- 
cause Miller Willis was saved, and became such a holy 
man, after being so wicked in his youthful days, there- 
fore, they can postpone their return to God later in life. 

According to his brother, Maj. Ed. Willis, it was in 
1856, that he conceived the idea that he must go to sea. 
His mother, of course, was opposed to it. But so reck- 
less and determined was he, that he told his mother 
that if she would not give her consent, he would run 
away. 

But before giving the narrative with the adventures of 
going to sea, he tells three incidents, illustrative of his 
daring disposition, as also of the wonderful Providence 
that saved him from an untimely and violent death. 

The first was, in riding a wild horse, standing with his 
feet on the horse's back, and driving him at a break- 
neck speed over a bridge, the horse fell, pitching Miller 
headlong to the ground and breaking his arm in three 
places. From this frightful hurt he was weeks recover- 
ing; but he was hardly well before he came very near 
losing his life, by falling out of a tree forty feet high. 
He was picked up senseless, and apparently dead. But 
he seemed to be preserved only that he might find death 
in a watery grave; for, being out on the Savannah River 
in a boat one cold winter day all alone, with a thick win- 
ter suit on, he fell backwards in the middle of the river. 
Here was made available his wonderful powers as a 



12 Life of S. Miller Willls. 

swimmer, which his brother Ed. speaks of in writing of 
him to me. After relating these fearful adventures and 
escapes from death, he makes this entry: "The Lord 
spared me, though I was so wicked and disobedient; yet 
He preserved my life, and, oh! the promises I made to 
Him, and soon forgot them.'^ 

His going to sea was an epoch in his early life — not 
for good, surely, judging from the evil influences he was 
brought under; and yet, there seems to be, in some inex- 
plicable way, an ever present over-watching Providence 
that attended the wreckless boy, and that ever and anon 
brought him under the real fear of death and hell. Say 
what you please about fear as an incentive to religion, one 
thing is certain, so far as Miller Willis is concerned, it 
was one of the most powerful breaks on his downward train 
to perdition. Lideed, one is almost forced to the conclu- 
sion, as one reads his own account of himself, that but for 
this element in his nature he would have leaped head-long 
into hell before he was fifteen years old. Afraid of man ? 
He seems to have been an absolute stranger to any such 
emotion. One other influence ought to stand in the 
fore-front as a check upon him, and which he always 
associated with those other influences .that held him back 
in his downward career — the love of his mother. How 
to reconcile his life of sin and disobedience to every pre- 
cept of maternal love, I do not undertake to explain, 
but now and again, right in the very act of grieving 
and almost breaking her heart, he breaks out, '^Oh, how 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 13 

I did love my dear mother," or '^I do know I love my 
mother." But to the story of his sea-faring, etc. 

"Now, my father was gone, and I was left with a 
widowed mother in Augusta, and oh ! how I loved my 
mother. I told her I was going to sea. 1 said I will 
run away and go if you don't let me go. So my dear 
mother said: ^Rather than you should run away, I will 
write your brother Ed and let him get you a place.' My 
brother was in the employ of John Fraser & Co., 
Charleston, S. C. So he said: ^ Wait awhile and you 
can go.' They were building a new ship — ^The Eliza 
Bonsall' was her name, and this was her first trip. We 
left from Charleston, 1852, in the summer. Sister Wight- 
man [the bishop's mother, I take it. — Ed.] gave me a 
Bible, and put in it these words: 'If sinners entice 
thee, consent thou not.' Ever remember ^Thou God 
seest me,' and then her name." He makes this confes- 
sion : " I never opened that Bible while at sea." But 
he says, " I prayed and cried to God to save me, and 
made great promises to God. I went to the captain's 
wife and said, Avhile all was getting dark in the day, 
^What is the matter with the pigs?' for we had two of 
them aboard, and I thought the wind was the pigs 
squealing. The captain's wife told me it was the wind. 
I was scared then, for I thought surely the ship can't 
stand that wind against her, and the waves rolled over 
her time and again. It was getting black now, for the 
night was on us. Oh, how I did go among some old 
sails and pray for God to spare me to get back home to 



14 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

my dear mother. But soon the wind ceased, and then I 
forgot what I had promised in the middle of the Atlantic 
ocean. A man aboard the ship — an ^Elliott street run- 
ner^ — from Liverpool, England, told me one night he 
must have some tobacco, and heard I had a lot of it. I 
told him he could not get mine. As I was a great 
tobacco user myself, I did not intend to allow them to 
get my tobacco, and I had heard it was gold in Liver- 
pool. I had several pounds, and could get what I 
wanted for it when I got there. This man — ^Liverpool 
Johnnie^ — was the ^ runner's^ name, and I got into a dis- 
pute about the tobacco, when he threatened to throw me 
overboard. I had a large sheaf knife, and I told him I 
would drive it through him if he came in my room with- 
out first knocking at my door; for I was afraid he would 
throw me overboard, for I slept in about three feet of 
the rail in the midshipman's locker, and he was a dread- 
ful man. My tobacco was in charge of the captain, and 
no sailor dared to go in his cabin without permission, so 
I felt it was safe. When we got to Liverpool we found 
a guard standing at the dock gate, who examined every 
one who passed out to see that he had nothing that duty 
was to be paid on. A man goes out with a plug of 
tobacco tied around his neck and one around his body, 
and in this way many plugs went out without duty 
being paid on them. 

I was walking the streets of Liverpool one day and 
met a man with a lot of miser's purses; they were lit- 
tle strong pieces of cloth sewed up so you could not find 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 15 

the opening to them without understanding how to work 
them. The man seemed very humble until I had 
bought a lot of little things from him, among them the 
miser's purse. I said, the purse is no account to me, for 
I cannot open it; then he began to assert himself. ^Oh,' 
says he, ^you give me a penny and I will show you how 
to open it.' I saw in a moment the trap I was in, and 
handing him the penny, he gave me the secret. I was 
then without religion, and something to fill the void was 
what I wanted. I found out the truth of this scripture 
— Isa. Ivii, 20-21. I wanted peace and could not find 
it. I went in that great city of ships and flags, and I 
found out — ^The wicked are like the troubled sea, when 
it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. 
There is no peace, sayeth my God, to the vvicked.' I 
was out at night in this wicked city, and oh, what I 
saw was enough to ruin any poor boy like myself. I 
went with ^Liverpool Johnnie' one night into a dance 
house; in front was a bar room, and in the back was a 
place filled with round tables, with men and women 
seated around them. When I entered the room, they 
cried out, ^ Come here, my Yankee lad.' Beautiful 
young women, all playing for beer, and laughing so loud 
that the kind and tender-hearted barkeeper would have 
to quiet them now and again. It was all new to me, 
and to be made so much of by all, turned my head; I 
thought I was somebody. But all of a sudden a great 
fear came over me, and I cried, 'here, take me right 
out of here, and let me go quick, or I will tell the cap- 



16 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

taiD all about you.' I did not have sense enough to 
see that at any moment one of those men or women 
could seize me and get ^advance' money for me, by 
getting me aboard some ship going out of Liverpool, 
But God took care of me even then. As God was with 
Joseph, so He was with me even then, and I knew it 
not. Think of bad women by the dozen, parading the 
streets decoying men. One took hold of me one night, 
a beautiful little Scotch girl, with black eyes, and said, 
^you are my cousin so and so.' ^Oh no,' I said, 'I 
don't know who you are talking about.' ^Well then, 
stand for my beer, wont you?' ^No, no,' I answered, 
for I was astounded at such things. But oh, I was 
getting into the trap and I did not know it. The cap- 
tain said it was dangerous for me to go out on the dock 
after night, and said he Avould take me up to London 
with him, and that I must not go out at night any more. 
Little did he know the places I had been in, with des- 
perate men, too. 

The two pigs we had aboard were named ^Dennis' 
and ^ Patrick.' They would catch a rat and shake him 
to pieces and then eat him. We would take a beet or a 
piece of cabbage and bait the traps, and the rats would 
fill the traps so full that they would kill each other. 
When the ship would be in a calm we would take a lump 
of coal and put cotton all around it, and then throw it 
into the sea, and I could see it, it seemed to me, nearly 
three-quarters of an hour, going down, down into the 
depths of the ocean; and just so. Oh Lord, I feel thy 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 17 

poor unworthy child ought to go down, down, for Thou 
hast said, ^For every one that exalteth himself shalt be 
abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted/ 
Luke xviii: 14. 

We were out forty-four days and nights on the ocean; 
no land, nothing but birds for our company, and all 
sorts of fish. I saw several whales spout the water up, 
and I saw sharks. 

When we got off the coast of Ireland, men and boys 
came in fishing smacks to trade fish for old clothes. I 
gave some of my old clothes for pity's sake. On our 
way over, one day at sea, the cabin boy and I got into a 
dispute. I touched him lightly on the face, when he 
drew out a sheath-knife and drove it into my hip. I 
took a brick he was cleaning his knives and forks with, 
and nearly knocked his brains out. The captain was 
going to whip him. I said, ^No, I can take care of 
myself The boy begged me not to have him taken up 
when I got back to Charleston. I told him I would not 
think of such a thing. 

So I got back home, and was lost. I was a wicked, wild 
fellow, and no stirring scenes to engage me. Oh, how I 
longed for something wild to see or read. It was noth- 
ing else except this that made me go to sea, and now noth- 
ing but my mother's love kept me home, and would not 
let me go back. But I began to read wild books, such 
as "Claud Duval," '^Jack Shephard," "Sixteen String 
Jack,'' and many more of the same kind. We had a band 
there we called "The Seven Brothers of Augusta," and if 



18 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

being wicked made us brothers, then we were certainly 
blood-kin. We met in our hay-loft, and oh! at such 
times, we would plot mischief — get hold of things, fair 
or unfair — and then we would all get together and divide 
and eat and make plans for getting hold of more; then 
we would sell and divide. 

I want to say just here, for the glory of God, that 
one other and I are the only two on our way to heaven, 
out of all my companions; and many, or nearly all, are 
dead; or gone, some in Texas, some in places I don^t 
know where. But hallelujah to God! I am on my way 
to heaven. Oh, how often I think, suppose I had 
had religion then, what a blessing God could have 
made me to them. One of my best friends came home 
during one of my stays at home during the war. I 
heard by chance they had brought the dear boy home, 
but oh how sad to say it — he was in his coffin. Though 
a wicked boy, when I went in and heard it was the dear 
fellow-boy, the friend of my youth, my heart smote me. 
I was soon to go back to the army again, and I was not 
sure but that I might be brought back in my coffin, too, 
and oh how sad it made me to think I had not obeyed 
the Lord. Mathew vi: 33 — "Seek ye first the king- 
dom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things 
shall be added unto you.^^ 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 19 



CHAPTER II. 



His Life of Wickedness Continues — Becoming 
Worse and Worse, until it Almost Eventu- 
ates IN A Horrible Murder. 

With his return from sea he seems to have plunged 
headlong into sin, with a recklessness that betokened a 
soul truly lost to all moral and religious restraint; but 
not so. His conscience, at times, would suddenly start 
up with all the fury of outraged law, and lash him into 
a perfect frenzy of prayer and promises. These times 
of seeming penitence came usually in connection wath 
some desperate act — may be next to murder. But let 
us follow him in his ow^n words, as he exposes his vile 
conduct without a single paliating circumstance. Like 
the Holy Scriptures, in their dealings with the best men 
of the Bible, they do not seek to cover up or modify any 
bad conduct, so Miller Willis uncovers himself as the 
embodiment of meanness. 

slapping the men in the face, in 1855 and 1856, 
at the south carolina r. r. 

"The trains used to stop at the S. C. depot in those 
days — men getting on the train. We [I suppose he 
means " The Seven Brothers" — Ed.] would go up to the 
windows and talk with them. The platform was not far 



20 Life of S. Miller ^YILLIS. 

from the river railroad bridge — so when the train would 
start off, we would either slap the man in his face, or we 
would spit in his face. We would chew our tobacco and 
get a mouthful of the juice and spit in their faces, and 
then run off. They would come to the platform of the 
car and swear vengeance against us, saying they were a 
great mind to jump off the train and catch us, and that 
they knew our faces, and they would certainly prosecute 
us and make us pay for daring to slap so and so in the 
face. But on the thing Avould go in a few days after 
the same way. 

^^At one time I went up to the window and began a 
conversation with a powerful man — large and strong — 
and when the train started off I spit tobacco juice in his 
eyes, then slapped his face and ran off. He threw a 
large knife and struck me. I picked it up and ran off 
with it. They would not jump off, though they would 
make great threats to do so. Thus we continued to go 
on getting worse and worse. AYe would go into each 
bar-room and look for men that were drunk, and on the 
street, and if we found them we would take them up 
stairs in the old market house, where there was a pair of 

stocks and fasten their hands and feet, and one , 

being a strong young man, would lay on about 39 iashes. 
Oh, how they would curse and swear — how they were 
going to make us pay for it when they got down stairs. 
But we would make them promise to go home and say 
nothing to any one as they went. One or two would 
follow them across to Carolina, and then leave them. If 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 21 

they came back the band would be scattered/' Of course 
this sort of conduct, with much else he relates of him- 
self and his wicked associates, could only have been 
carried on with any sort of impunity at night. Besides, 
he says: ^' There were only two policemen in Augusta 
at that time, and they were old men, and so we had just 
as good a time as if there were none.'' I will stop here 
to say what does not appear in his account of himself. 
At this time, according to the testimony of his brother, 
he was hard at work during the day. But God could 
and did speak to him even through his wickedness. 
Hear him: '^I never can forget the last time I ever 
troubled a drunken man, and the impression it made on 
me for good." He found a man drunk on the street, 
and, somehow, in his playing pranks on him, he thought 
he had broken the fellow's neck, and he ran off and cried 
and prayed to God, making all sorts of promises; if the 
Lord would not let the man die he would never trouble 
another drunk man. And this time he kept that promise. 
But now comes one of the most fearful adventures of 
his life: "On on6 occasion I went to the race track, 
and on that day came near driving my own precious 
mother mad, or causing her death. She said often 
if they brought me home dead, well and good ; but 
if they brought me home a murderer she would die sure. 
It would either kill her or she would lose her mind ; 
and I did love my precious mother. I would promise 
never to touch any one again to harm them, but soon I 
was into something worse. While on the race track, I 



22 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

whooped and yelled like a demon, until a race rider got 
mad because I was yelling for the mare that won the 
race, and in a rage he came to me and said : ^ Now, you 
hush, or I will slap you down/ ^Well,' I said, ^youare 
big enough, but if you do I will be with you when you 
do it.^ So he slapped me down, and as I rose I stuck 
my knife in him three or four times. The blood flew 
all over me and him. In a moment I was gone, and 
they were hunting the person that stabbed him. 

'Where is the man that killed him?' everybody was 
exclaiming, 'for a man like him can't live.' Oh, how 
I felt. '|Now I am a murderer, I have killed a man 
and my mother too.' So I went for home, and when I 
got there my mother cried, 'Oh, my son, you are at last 
a murderer; oh, you have killed your mother! Some 
boys coming from the race track told me you had killed 
that race rider.^ 

Oh, how I prayed, and promised God if He would 
spare the race rider, and my mother, I would never be 
guilty of such another act. If the Lord ever helped a 
wicked boy to pray more than He did me, I never heard 
of him. I thought surely, never, while I have breath, 
will I ever do this again; and then I would say to my- 
self, will you let a man slap you down and not resent it? 
No, never, 1 will kill any man that slaps me down, and 
I will be thought well of by my friends for doing it. 
[Here is the public sentiment that has made many mur- 
derers. — Ed.] My wicked heart had murder in it, and 
my friends said I was right. But oh, like the prodigal 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 23 

son in Luke xv: 13, I was ^wasting my substance 
in riotous living, and no man gave unto me/ except bad 
advice. They were my companions that said unto me, 
'go on,' and we thought other people did not have the 
fun we had, so on we went.'' 

THE EXPLOSION. 

"We lived next door to an old lady. Miss , [I 

omit the name, — Ed.] and oh, how precise and prim 
she was; the least noise would start her off, and oh, 
how she would talk of it all day long. A lot of us boys 
got a piece of blasting fuse — they blasted rock with it — 
some called it safety fuse. The hydrant we used water 
out of was between the two families; on either side of 
the fence there was a tub filled with water, and we got 
a small glass vial and filled it with powder, then put 
the fuse in and stopped the vial well to keep the powder 
dry. AVhen all was ready we lighted the fuse and 
walked off leisurely down the street as if nothing was 
the matter. The fuse being long gave us ample time to 
get a good distance before the powder caught. In eight 
or ten minutes the explosion came, and away went the 

tub, water and all, against the house. Miss 

thought it was one of us and she was going to see that 
we were taken up for it, and made to go before the may- 
or. My precious mother was in the house, and when 

Miss charged her boy with it, she was hurt, and 

went over to Miss 's. 'Oh,' says Miss , 

'they might have blown the house up; I will send for 



24 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

the owner of the house and I will make them see sights 
yet, yes I will/ and off she sent for the owner of the 
house. ^See here, see here! just look Avhere it threw 
the staves. If some one had been passing along the 
street they might have been killed.' ' My children 
were aw^ay down tow^n w^hen it happened/' said my 
mother.- ^ Don't care it they were four miles away, they 

did it, and I know it,' said Miss . My mother 

was troubled and hurt, for we told her w^e did not do it. 
How could we when we were away down town w4ien it 
occurred. Our precious mother believed her children, 
just as, I guess, most mothers will, ^o one but us 
knew how it was done either." 

As he looked back many years afterwards, and recalled 
those w'ayward acts of his young life — as if speaking 
from the time these things took place, he utters this 
prayer, and this appeal to those who might be ready to 
cast the first stone. 

^' I would say, Lord, do spare me aw^hile longer, and 
let me see Thy mercy. Lxxxvi Psalm and 5th verse: 
^For Thou Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and 
plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee.' 
And because God was good and ready to forgive, there- 
fore I went on deeper and deeper in sin, and forgot God 
and Heaven. Reader, how is it with thee? Have you 
never promised to do better, and then done worse than 
before?" 

The following is the last mention he makes of his 
wicked life, except the account he gives of himself during 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 25 

the war. He gives no date, but it must have been some 
time after he had become religious. '' I was walking down 

Broad street, Augusta, and met Mr. near the old 

D'Antiagnae building; he stopped me and said: *You 
see Miller Willis so sober? Ah! that fellow has done 
devilment enough to damn him.' But I could praise 
God and say, if it had not been for the mercy of God I 
would have been a lost soul to-day; but bless God, He 
saves me — even me now. Hallelujah to Jesus!''' 



26 Life of S. Miller Willis. 



CHAPTER III. 



His Experience in the Army — Including His 
Conversion in 1864, and the Life He Lived 
AND THE Work He Did in the Church and Sun- 
day-school. 

We come now to one of the most intensely interesting 
chapters in Miller's life. Of the war, as such, he says 
but little. His mind is too full of other and greater 
things. Whatever may have been his feeling at the 
breaking out of the war, and no doubt they were 
intense, when he came to write of himself in connection 
with those times, he was a new man — God had taken all 
sectional bitterness and hatred out of his heart. While 
he was still a Southern man, yet he loved his Christian 
brethren of the North, and ascribed his experience, 
especially in Holiness, largely to the writings of Chris- 
tian men and women IN^orth. The ^^ Guide to Holiness'' 
was one of the first periodicals that woke up his heart to 
the glorious truth that there was a deeper and more sat- 
isfactory experience in grace than that which was obtained 
in conversion. 

But we shall say no more here about this ; further on 
in another chapter it will be seen more at large how 
much he loved, and how gladly he acknowledged his 
indebtedness to these brethren. He enlisted in the army 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 27 

in 1862, and, up to the time of his first discharge was in 
the Army of Northern Virginia. How many battles he 
was in he does not say, but he was wounded twice in 
both knees. I presume, though he does not say so, that 
this was the cause of his being discharged. After his 
discharge from the Virginia army, he was in an artillery 
company on the coast. This incident is given me by 
Major Willis, his brother, and it sounds just like Miller 
Willis : 

General Drayton, of South Carolina, going into a fight 
found Miller, gun in hand, away behind the company, and 
said to him, ^'Why are you not with your command?'' 
Miller answered, ^' Don't you see I am afoot? You are 
on horseback; why don't you go to the front? Go ahead, 
and I'll be there as soon as wanted. I am ready to fol- 
low — you just lead the way." But to resume his own 
narrative: ^^We were in a piece of woods, when the 
enemy got our range and began to kill us by the dozen. 
A young fellow in a few feet of me was killed, and 
several wounded. I cried out: ^Boys, boys! you may 
like this, but I Avould rather be at home eating milk and 
peaches.' All near me laughed out right there in the 
presence of death, so hardened had we become in our 
hearts. But next day came the fearful second battle of 
Manassas. While on the march I saw a young man at 
the foot of the hill at Brandy Station, Va., his feet bare 
and nearly in the little stream. I looked at him, and 
wept for the first time in years. I thought, just as that 
young man is, so it will be with me soon. My mother 



28 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

will get the news that I am killed and lying out here 
barefooted like him. But I soon forgot, and was as 
wicked as ever. I think it was about 3 or 4 in the 
evening we were marched to the scene of battle — second 
Manassas — horses, wild and riderless, loose on the plains, 
men praying, swearing, throwing away their cards, and 
pressing their Bibles next to their hearts. Now men 
made great promises, as the wounded and bleeding ones 
were being brought out. I nearly fainted with fright. 
I trembled from head to foot, and made a thousand 
promises. I vowed and re- vowed if the Lord would 
only spare me to see my dear mother one more time how 
I would serve Him. But Satan told me, ' Yes, you have 
said that many times before, and you did not do it. You 
told a lie to the Lord. Yes, and so often have you 
promised you don't believe yours^^lf.' Try me. Lord, 
one more time, and then if I do not be a good boy, kill 
me. The shells were flying, and men crying and swear- 
ing, and some praying, for I was one of them. Sure I 
had never prayed like that before. While lying on my 
face, with my gun by my side, a shell tore it to atoms, 
and a piece struck me on my knee. Oh, how I prayed, 
and promised the Lord I would do as He bid me from 
that moment to the end of my life. There I was, help- 
less before God, and far from home, about to die among 
strangers. I thought I was dead. After awhile along 
came some boys from Augusta. ^Well, here is Miller 
Willis ! ' They saw my gun shattered to pieces. ' Are 
you wounded?' they asked me. ^I am a dead man.' 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 29 

'Where are you wounded?' One of them took me by 
the hand and lifted me up. 'Old fellow, I don't see. the 
blood.' I examined, when I came to myself, and saw it 
was only a small red place where I was wounded. They 
said: 'You are not hurt.' I could not believe it, for 
oh, I was so frightened that I could not realize that it 
was my own feet I was standing on. But each moment 
I was making some new vow or promise to God. Soon 
after this we were on a forced march to Gordonsville, 
then to Staunton and Winchester. Xot long after we 
got there I was examined by the surgeon and discharged, 
my discharge being signed by General Lee. But it soon 
got so no paper would do any good. I then volunteered 
and went to the coast of South Carolina. I was here, I 
believe, six months in an artillery company — Giradeau's 
battery." This must have been after his conversion, for 
he says: ''I left Augusta still not what I felt I ought 
to be. My carnality troubled me, and I sought sanctifi- 
cation, 1st Thes. v. and 23, October 6th, 1877, and 
received it to the joy of my soul — entire sanctification — 
after living a converted life like Mathew xviii and 3, 
from 1864 until 6th October, 1877." 

According to his own account, as written to Rev. 
George G. X. McDonald, his conversion was attributable 
to a sermon he preached in St. John's church, Augusta, 
Ga. Brother M. was preaching, as Miller thought, from 
the text, "Pay thy vows." Though Brother M. says his 
text was another passage, so that the explanation must 
be. Miller either did not notice the text, or else it had 



30 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

been announced before he came in, and the first word he 
heard as he entered was, ^-Pay thy vows!^^ he very 
naturally thought that was the text. The preacher went 
on to say, ^^ You have made many vows on the battlefield 
that if the Lord would spare you to get home to your 
dear mother, you would be a Christian.'^ He heard 
nothing else, for he was shot through and through by the 
arrow of divine truth. Although he had in a measure 
been brought up under Episcopal influence, yet, he 
always preferred the Methodist; and of Methodist 
churches, he always preferred to have his membership at 
^t. James, and I think we might say of preachers, up to 
that time, he preferred Rev. J. E. Evans, D.D. But it 
was some little time after his awakening and joining the 
church before he was consciously pardoned. Often have 
I heard him relate it. His agony of soul reached a state 
of such suffering that he felt if deliverance did not come, 
and come speedily, he should die. It was while in this state 
of mind that one night on Ellis street, about ten o^clock, he 
felt he must have religion or perish. So with this con- 
viction upon him he resolved to go into the barn, the 
place where he and his wicked associates, with the devil, 
had often conferred together how to carry on his work. 
But now that he was about to break with him and his 
work forever, what better or more fit place than in that 
same barn. He seems to have been on the street when 
this purpose was formed in his heart, for he says: "As I 
threw the gate open that led into the barnyard, down 
came the Lord Jesus into my soul!'' and he began to 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 31 

shout, "Vve got it! Pve got it!^^ So overwhelmed was 
he with this new joy, that he felt he could not wait until 
morning before he told it, and so he began to knock up 
the neighbors to tell them the good news; for most of 
them were gone to bed. " What^s the matter?" they said. 
"Oh! I've got religion! I've got religion!" But alas! 
alas! he began to realize now what he never had cared 
for before — that the neighbors did not believe him. They 
said: "Oh! it's Miller Willis at some more of his devil- 
ment, and this time he's making sport of religion." But 
when they came to know that he really had professed re- 
ligion, they said: "Oh! Avell, it won't last. He'll be 
back in his wickedness in a few weeks." Oh, how many 
souls have been discouraged, if not really driven back 
into sin, by such evil prophesies as this, and frequently 
by members of the church. But, thank God, their pre- 
dictions never came true about Miller AVillis. His was 
a "sky blue conversion," as he delighted to call it, quoting 
after Bishop George F. Pierce, "and I knew it, just as 
well as I know my right arm from my left, and I know 
it now, twenty-three years afterwards. Praise the Lord." 
But here is the letter which he wrote to Brother 
MacDonell, acknowledging him as his spiritual father: 

Brother George MacDonell, M. E. Preacher^ Thomasville, Oa.: 
Dear Brother: — Twenty-five years ago you passed through 
Augusta. I was just out of the army of Northern Virginia. 
And oh ! how at the second battle of Manassas I promised 
God if He would only spare me, what a boy I would be 
for Him. I was spared wonderfully. While trying in part to 
fulfil my promise to God, I walked in there, and you, a stran- 



32 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

ger in Augusta and to me, and to all as far as I could hear, 
preached .at St. Johns M. E. church. Your text was, " Pay thy 
vows." Your first remark was: "There are young men in the 
house who promised God upon many battle-fields, 'only spare 
me and I will serve you any way you lead me.' " I said to the 
young man next to me, "Did you tell that preacher that ? " 
"No," said he, "I never saw the preacher before." "Well 
then, God must have told him, for I have told no living 
person." 

' I went next day to Uncle James E. Evans, and told him all. 
I joined St. James M. E. Church, and went to work for the 
Lord. Since then I have been in Trion, N. C, Charleston, S. 
C, and from Augusta, Ga., to Fairmount, in North Georgia, 
and in nearly every town and city, from here to there, and 
talked Jesus to them. 

I felt I could delay no longer to write you, that God used 
you to awake me from sleep and death. Am now in Milledge- 
ville, Ga., and expect, D. V., to go to Florida. 

May God bless you and yours, and help you to stir many 
more, and save their souls. He that hath said: " Call unto me 
and I will answer thee, and will show thee great and mighty 
things which thou knowest not," (Jer. xxxiii: 3) will help 
you, I pray. Mark xi : 24. 

Yours, less than the least. 1 Thessalonians, v: 23. 

S. MiLLEE Willis. 

Now with Bro. J. R. King, Milledgeville, Ga. 

Feb. 18, 1889. 

Miller Willis joined the church before he was con- 
verted. Here is a lesson for those who do not believe 
in joining the church until after they are converted. 
Maybe if he had not done so he would have backslid 
from the mighty conviction of the Spirit. No doubt 
Uncle " Jimmie '^ Evans advised him to go right straight 
and join the church. Thank God^ he did it. 



Life of S. Millee Willis. 33 



CHAPTER IV. 



Miller Willis as a Member and Worker in the 
Church and Sunday-school, from His Joining 
in 1864 to 1877, including some thrilling ex- 
PERIENCES IN Pushing the Work of Soul-saving. 

While he has not left so full an account of his life and 
work during this period of his life, yet there will be 
found many striking incidents interspersed along in 
other parts of these pages-^some with dates, and some 
without dates, that must have transpired between 1864 
and 1877. 

Besides, there is ample oral testimony that he was an 
indefatigable worker, both in prayer-meetings, class-meet- 
ings, and Sunday-schools; but especially, was he every- 
where to be found in the sick room, administering both 
to soul and body. He did a vast deal of this sort of 
work. He was peculiarly adapted to it. He became so 
well known, and was so successful in administering con- 
solation, and even in leading penitent sinners, on their 
death bed, to faith in Jesus, that he was often sent for 
instead of the regular pastor. Men who made no open 
profession of religion had a standing arrangement with 
their friends, that when they came to their last sickness, 
if it were possible to get Miller Willis, they wanted him 
sent for in preference to priest or preacher, that he might 



34 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

pray for them, and administer the consolations of religion 
to them. A striking example of this sort occurred in 
Augusta, Ga., last year, (1891.) A man, who, in his 
early years had been under Catholic influence, when 
he grew up and came in contact with Protestant truth 
and light, practically broke away from its ignorance and 
superstition, yet did not profess experimental Chris- 
tianity, but had it understood with the lady with 
whom he boarded, and who had been a mother to him, 
that if Miller Willis were accessible when he came to die, 
she must send for him. This lady was herself a member 
of St. James church. Strange enough, while Miller w^as 
in Augusta attending the Interstate Holiness meeting, 
and with the writer some time after, helping in a meet- 
ing at Asbuiy church, this man was stricken down with 
what proved to be his last illness. Miller was sent for, 
and day after day he visited and prayed for the sick man. 
There is good reason to hope he led him to a saving 
knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, though a great 
outrage was committed by the Roman Catholics both 
before and after the man's death. They took advantage 
of the fact, that the lady at whose house he was sick was a 
widow, and the further fact, that she herself was sick and 
confined to her room up stairs, to bring a priest just be- 
fore he died, who tried to force ^' extreme unction '^ with 
the last sacrament on him, but the dying man actually 
clasped his teeth together and refused, though they tried 
to put the wafer between his teeth. After his death, they 
took forcible possession of his body, carried him to the 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 35 

Catholic church, and buried him with Romish rites. 
Speaking of this, reminds me : Miller and the Roman- 
ists could never harmonize. The Romanists, and espe- 
cially the Romish women, who are employed to do work 
that their men can^t do, used to hate Miller with a per- 
fect hatred; and, I am almost afraid he thought he was 
doing God^s service to hate them, especially before he 
was sanctified. More then than even now, they tried 
to furnish all the hospital nurses, and even to exclude all 
Protestant visitation and service from the sick. Miller 
had no idea of being ruled out from this field of labor, 
and so he and they used to have some serious con- 
flicts, they even threatening to have him pitched out at 
the window, while he would defy and dare them to at- 
tempt it. He become so aroused on the Roman Catholic 
question once that he sent off and procured a large sup- 
ply of tracts and other literature and scattered them 
broadcast over the city. While his mind underwent no 
change, so far as the corruption in general of that church 
is concerned, yet, he greatly modified his methods of 
opposition to them. After reading the lives of Madam 
Guyan, Thomas A. Kempis, and Fenelon, he come to be- 
lieve that even a member of the Roman Catholic church 
could get religion and be saved. 

Sometime in the early part of his religious life he had 
an experience on the question of obedience that he never 
forgot. He was impressed that he ought to speak to 
people, whenever he met them, about their souls, but 
he shrank from it — he knew of no one else who did it — 



36 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

not evGD amoDg the preachers; he felt an apprehension 
of what it would cost him ; he refused for a time to obey 
this unusual leading of the Divine Spirit ; the conse- 
quence was he went into a state of spiritual darkness, of 
a most indescribable nature. He compares it to being 
taken up by the heels and put headforemost into a 
barrel of tar. 

"tar barrel, and HOW" I WENT IN HEADFOREMOST 
AND GOT OUT OF IT.'^ 

"I was lead to talk to several who gave me a cursing, 
but I remembered what I promised the Lord when I 
was down headforemost in a barrel of tar. I felt as if 
some one had taken me by the heels and dropped me 
headforemost into a barrel of tar — could describe the 
darkness with nothing else, it seemed to me ; then I told 
the Lord, ^I will do what You say, and at all times now 
and forever ; just take me up out of here and I will serve 
You — yes, as I never saw any one else do — I will do it, 
Jesus!' He heard my cry and I was happy and joyous 
again. Oh, how I did delight to do Thy will, O my 
Lord ! Yea, Thy law is within my heart.'' Ps. xi and 8. 

THE SAD DEATH OF A MOUNG MAN BOY YOU MIGHT 

SAY ONLY 16 YEARS OLD, WHO WAS CALLED TO 

PREACH. 

"In 1868 Rev. Geo. H. Pattillo was pastor of St. 
James Church, Augusta, Ga. 

"A young man sent for me one night in a hurry. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 37 

He had come back from Oxford, Ga. He told me he 

was called to preach. ^ Oh, Brother / I said, 

^ don't resist God!' ^ You know, Brother Willis, a boy 
sixteen years old can't preach.' ^Yes he can if God 
calls him to it.' He cried, he prayed, but told me, ^I 
can't preach.' I begged him not to resist God. He 
said he wanted to preach, but how could he without an 
education. 

^'Soon the dear boy was taken ill. I went to see him. 
Brother Pattillo was there; I think he called on each 

one of us to pray. Brother was delirious ; he said, 

while his mind was wandering, ^I am climbing up a 
steep embankment, and now I am in the mud; Oh, how 
it hurt me to fall that time, but I am up again, and now 
I will get to the top.' Then he would cry out, ^Oh, I 
am safe now, and on the top.' Then he would talk and 
get happy, and soon he was so weak, but he said, *I 
have committed the sin unto death ; I will go to heaven, 
but if the Lord w^ould spare me I would preach, young 
as I am.' ^If any man see his brother sin a sin which 
is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him 
life for them that sin not unto death: There is a sin un- 
to death. I do not say that he shall pray for it.' 1 John, 

5 ch., 16 verse. Brother knew he had to die — 

he knew he had committed the ^sin unto death,' and he 
gave no reason to hope he would get well. When 
spoken to about getting Avell, he would say: ^Yes, 
young as I am, I would do my best to preach,' and in the 
next breath he would tell how he wanted to be buried, 



38 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

and what songs he wanted them to sing over his grave — 
showing he did not expect to get well. ^Sing/ he would 
say, ^ Rest for the weary/ ^ Sweet rest in Heaven/ 

* Come, schoolmates, don't grow weary, 

But let us journey on; 
The moments will not tarry. 

This life will soon be gone.' 

"And so our young men's prayer-meeting was, peo- 
pling Heaven. Oh! bless God for the young men's 
prayer-meeting at St. James church, Augusta, Ga. It 
landed many in Heaven, and was the life of the church. 

" So died our dear Brother . Farewell, Brother 

, by the grace of God I'll meet you." 

Bless the Lord, he kept that promise, and no doubt 
he and his dear young brother are together in Heaven. 

Speaking of young men — how intense was the love of 
Miller Willis for this class of souls. He knew their 
temptations and danger, and oh, how he longed to res- 
cue them from their perils by bringing them to Jesus. 
But his religion was of the most intense order; he could 
not long tolerate or cooperate, much less fellowship, any 
other sort. Hence, while he tried hard to fall into line 
with the Y. M. C. A. in their work, yet he and they 
found that two could not walk together except they be 
agreed — Miller was too red-hot for them, and they were 
too icy cold and formalistic for him. I have often heard 
him say that he never essayed to enter a pulpit but once. 
He was appointed to lead a Y. M. C. A. meeting, and 
some one persuaded him to go into the pulpit. He said 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 39 

it was the biggest failure of his life, and he said then if 
he could be forgiven for trying to act the preacher that 
time, heM never do so any more. He always said the 
floor was his place. "I am nothing but a little five-cent 
fellow — like a nickle with a hole in it.^^ He was often 
called " Reverend ^^ by those Avho did not know him, but 
he never asked for, or desired license to preach. Here is 
his testimony to the love he bears for young men : '^ Oh ! 
that I could speak to young men, and they could see the 
love I have for them, so they might take my advice and 
prepare to meet their God now, while the Lord calls to 
them saying, ^ except ye be converted and become as lit- 
tle children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of 
Heaven.'^' Math, xviii: 3d verse. ^'So we see that no 
man can go to Heaven without being converted. Won't 
you turn now, dear reader, before the harvest is past and 
the summer is ended, and I am not saved? But, bless 
God, that is not my experience, but I am saved up to 
this moment, amen! And oh! if like the dear boy that 
was dying in the hospital, and cried ^here! here!' and 
when the nurses came and laid him upon his pillow 
and said: ^Did you want us when you shouted ^here! 
here?' ^Oh, no! L heard the roll-call in Heaven, and 
was answering to my name.' Oh! brethren, I can an- 
swer to mine, praise the Lord. Oh! can you say, ^here 
am I, Lord — send me anywhere on earth, at any time!' 
I know I am ready for Heaven while on earth; like 
Colossians, 1st chap, and 12th verse, ^Made meet to be 
partakers of the saints in light.' ' But who hath believed 



40 Life of S. Millee Willis. 

our report, aud to whom is the arm of the Lord reveal- 
ed?^ Isa. liii and 1. Oh! that salvation were as com- 
mon as any other business of life. You remember John 
iii, 14, 15, 16: ^And as Moses lifted up the serpent in 
the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up, 
that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but 
have eternal life.' ^ For God so loved the world that 
He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believ- 
eth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' 
So the serpent is raised upon a pole, and the mother 
comes to her son, w^ho is bitten, and says: ^Look, son, 
at that brazen serpent on that pole ! ' ^ For what, mother?' 
^To cure you.' See, here is a young man who has been 
bitten, and he is cured. ^How did he get cured?' asks 
the young man in the tent door, for the mother has 
pulled him out so he can look at the serpent. ^Look 
out, now, my son, at the serpent.' ^No, no! mother; if 
you will boil some herbs, and give them to me, or put a 
plaster on the bite, then you may say there is some rea- 
son in it; but just to look at a brass serpent — what vir- 
tue is there in that?' and so the dear young man dies, 
and there is no help for it.' ^But without faith it is im- 
possible to please Him.' Hebrews xi and 6th verse. 
Now, brethren, we see God can't be pleased with us 
without faith — but what sort of faith ? Not the faith that 
does nothing, but the working kind, or that which obeys 
God. 1 Saml., xv and 22. And Samuel said: ^Hath 
the Lord as great delight in burnt oiferings and sacrifi- 
ces, as obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 41 

is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of 
rams/'' 

HIS FIRST WORK OUT OF AUGUSTA. 

About the years 1875 and 1876, he began to extend 
his work outside of Augusta — especially in the counties 
of Richmond, Columbia, and other counties then em- 
braced in the Augusta district. Rev. R. W. Bighani 
was on the District, and Rev. B. F. Farris, now in 
Heaven, was pastor, first on the Richmond, then on the 
Appling circuit. 

Through the instrumentalities of these brethren, 
Brother Willis began to work abroad. He describes his 
first call from Augusta to work in Columbia county, and 
the results under God: 

"Miss , of Columbia county, would tell me of 

a church that was there when she was a small girl, but 
long since had been burned down. Oh ! how it fired my 
young heart, and I resolved if ever I could, I would like 
to go to that deserted neighborhood. But I had no 
money and knew no one there; yet I cried to the Lord 
to open the way. One day I was told the preacher 
would be glad for me to come and help him, and I got a 
letter telling me so. Oh I I could have shouted and 
praised the Lord all day and night for a new^ place to 
work. I got with, the preacher, and found a church 
floored with rough edge boards, and a few- brothers and 
sisters there singing with all their might. Soon the 
work began, and one and another got Mathew 18 and 3, 



42 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

and some one or two got sanctified like First Thes, 5 
and 23. Gamblers gave up gambling; sisters came and 
got the fear of death taken away by getting First Epis- 
tle of John, 4 and 17: 'Herein is our love made per- 
fect, that we may have boldness in the day of Judgment, 
because as he is, so are we in this world.'' 

The preacher referred to was Rev. B. F. Farris, and I 
think it is St. Mary's church; if this is the church, it 
was here he had a singular experience in getting lost in 
the woods, and a remarkable answer to prayer in finding 
his way to the church. Among other strange character- 
istics of him, he took no knowledge of the points of the 
compass — the consequence was he got easily lost in a 
strange place. He took a walk out in the woods, and 
the first thing he knew he was completely turned round. 
He could not tell for th^ life of him where he was, or 
which way the church or the road was. Just as soon as 
he realized his condition, he fell down on his knees and 
began to cry to God for deliverance, when lo and behold, 
he had hardly opened his mouth in prayer, before they 
struck up a song at the church, not more than one hun- 
dred yards away. With a shout of joy he sprang to his 
feet and rushed to the place of worship. Seizing upon 
the circumstance of his being lost, he made a most pow- 
erful appeal to sinners to realize the awful fact that they 
were lost, and to run to Jesus like he had run from the 
woods to the house. 

It made a wonderful impression, and some were saved 
by it. He was a true soldier — he knew the first lesson 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 43 

— obedience. You could count on him doing what you 
told him. Capt. Farris was a true Gospel preacher. 
No quailing before men by him, or daubing with untem- 
pered mortar, or crying peac^ when there was no peace. 
They were true yoke fellows. The parsonage of the 
Appling circuit was located at a little railroad station. 
Just across the railroad diagonally a brother was running 
a barroom. Farris had shot him from the pulpit, so he 
became offended and stayed away from church. What 
was to be done? No thought of giving him up. So, 
after a counsel of war, Capt. Farris and his faithful 
lieutenant, Willis, decided that they would resort to 
sharp-shooting. Farris had been a brave captain in the 
war, Willis had been a soldier. They knew what that 
meant. Daily, for I don't know how long, until the 
enemy surrendered, Willis would go out on the railroad 
embankment and shoot red-hot messages out of Heaven's 
Artillery at the whisky-selling brother. What was the 
result? The brother gave up the bad business, came 
back to church and got saved, and for nearly twenty 
years he has been one of the pillars of the church and 
most spiritually minded man in all that part of the 
country. He'll meet Capt. Farris and Miller Willis in 
Heaven after awhile, and they'll have a good time talk- 
ing over these things. Miller Willis' name is a house- 
hold word in all that country to-day. Many will rise 
up in the resurrection morn and call him blessed. 



44 Life of S. Miller Willis. 



CHAPTER Y. 



His First Visit to Thomson Circuit, North Geor- 
gia Conference, and What Resulted to Him- 
self, AND the Good Through Him that Came 
TO Others. 

His first visit to my charge, association with me in 
my work, and going with me from appointment to 
appointment, as well as pastoral visiting, were notable 
events, both to himself and many others. Just here I 
want to put on record my indebtedness to him for the 
example he set in this delicate, but all-important part 
of a pastor's work — pastoral visitation. While I would 
not adopt all his methods, yet I would say, be jilled 
with the one purpose that dominated him — the salva- 
tion of souls — and methods will take care of them- 
selves. He bad a passion for souls. It could be said 
of him, as it was of his Master, "The zeal of thine 
house hath eaten mre up.'' "This one thing I do," was 
a favorite quotation with him. He was what the world 
and worldly professors would call a "one idea" man. 

It was during this visit, as told by himself, and re- 
counted more than once in other parts of this book, that 
he obtained for the second time the experience of entire 
Sanctification; for, as stated by Rev. C. C. Cary, and as 
he told me when he first came to me in Thomson, he 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 45 

had surely entered into it only a short while before 
under the ministry of Rev. B. F. Farris, at the Rich- 
mond camp-meeting; and yet, Brother Farris had un- 
wittingly talked him out of it only a few minutes after 
he had obtained it. He had become deeply concerned 
on the subject of holiness, first by reading ''The Guide 
to Holiness/^ and then other papers and books — besides, 
Capt. Farris was an intense believer, and preacher of 
the doctrine, as taught in the Bible and the Methodist 
standards. Miller went, therefore, to the camp-meeting 
under conviction for a pure heart; the preaching, espe- 
cially by Capt. Farris, intensified this conviction; he 
felt that he must have the blessing. At the close of a 
service — perhaps eleven o^clock on Sunday — he retired 
to the grove, as he expressed it, "to have it out with 
the Lord." While thus wrestling alone in prayer the 
baptism of perfect love came upon him. He immedi- 
ately went back to the camp and told Brother Farris 
what he had experienced in the woods. Capt. Farris 
did not profess the experience, though he preached the 
doctrine, and defended the Paulian-Wesleyan view of it 
against all opposers. So far as I -know he never did 
distinctively and avowedly profess the experience as 
long as he lived. Some years after this, I heard him (I 
mean Capt. Farris) almost testify to the blessing. This 
was at Gainesville, Georgia, during a holiness meeting. 
I have made this digression in speaking of Brother 
Farris for a purpose: he preached the doctrine, but he 
did not himself enter in by faith ; the consequence ^vas, 



46 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

while he was one of the best men among us in his life 
and morals, and very successful in getting sinners con- 
verted, he never led any one into the conscious assurance 
of entire sanctification, except in this one instance — and 
then he doubted its genuineness. And *^the babe in 
Christ/^ just beginning to walk by faith, tottered and 
fell. There is a lesson for many of us just here. It is 
better to put the experience, or life, too high, than to 
put it too low; but it is much better to give the true 
Bible "standard,'^ and encourage all to claim it on the 
Gospel terms — unconditional consecration, and simple 
faith in Jesus. 

THE MEETING AT MT. OLIVET. 

From this meeting, at White Oak Church, where he 
was wholly sanctified, we went to a little church called 
Mt. Olivet. It was rather an out-of-the-way place, 
some very good people living near, but not strong 
enough to keep up a regular church organization, and so 
the preachers gave them odd appointments, with some- 
times a few days protracted meeting. This was an ex- 
traordinary time. God was present in soul-awakening 
and saving power. He gave wonderful liberty in preach- 
ing His word. I saw a whole congregation swept as by 
a cyclone of divine power. The hardest sinners surren- 
dered or ran away. The results were largely due to the 
presence and labors of Miller Willis. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 47 

his great faithfulness in speaking to every one 
on the subject of religion. 

He was frequently with me from 1877 to 1884, some- 
times spending weeks with me. It was during these 
most intimate associations that I came to know Jiim in 
all the phases of his character and temperament. He 
never allowed an opportunity to escape to speak person- 
ally to every one he met. Sometimes I almost chided 
him for being over zealous at this point; but I was 
always restrained by the solemn conviction that he was 
specially called of God to this peculiar mission. 

After faithfully warning a colored man, he would hold 
a class-meeting with himself after this sort: ^^Now, if 
that had been a white man — dressed fine, riding in a thou- 
sand dollar carriage and pulled by a thousand dollar span 
of horses, would I have dealt as plainly with him as I 
did with that colored man?'' 

This seemed to reverse the order of things, as prac- 
ticed by some of us. We are more ready to give the 
gospel to the rich and great — our sort of gospel, at least — 
than we are to the mean and poor. 

IN THE FAMILY. 

He was a perfect gentleman everywhere and always. 
He was considerate of others, especially ladies; hence, 
he was as little trouble in the family as any one could 
be. He was as one of my family when with us. He 
was quick to observe any seeming neglect that involved 
any unnecessary hardship on my wife or daughters, and 



48 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

he would say to me: ^^ Now, beloved, thus and so ought 
not to be/' 

WHY DID miller WILLIS NEVER MARRY? 

Was it because of any disappointment in any love 
affair while a young man? No; not that I ever heard 
of; and I think he would have told me. Was it because 
he reached a point in Christian experience where he was 
not susceptible to the tender passion for the opposite sex? 
On the other hand I never knew any man more impress- 
ible than he was. True, it was only a select class 
with which he fell in love. But let him meet a pretty, 
religious, intelligent, and refined young lady, and then 
let her get wholly sanctified, and get up and tell it, and 
be sweet and brave enough to pray in public; and then 
look out for Miller's heart; he was in great danger of 
losing it in such a case. He told me of several love 
scrapes he had. The only difference between him and 
other lovers was he never would tell it to the young 
lady. He always told the Lord, and sometimes he 
would tell a sympathizing brother. He did not believe 
in, nor did he ever assume any priestly vow of celibacy; 
only he knew it was not for him to marry, if he would 
do the work God had called him to do; but he never 
hinted in the remotest sense that it would be a sin for 
him or any other Christian man to marry. He remained 
unmarried, I have no doubt, for the same reason that 
St. Paul did. He exhorted young people when they 
married alway to be sure it was in the Lord. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 49 

the lost book, and what come of it. 

Perhaps there was no characteristic of Miller Willis as 
a Christian more striking than his unwavering trust in 
the overruling, ever present providence of God. He 
was the antipodes of a blind fatality, either on account 
of irrevocable decrees, growing out of the eternal sover- 
eignty ot God, or, what amounts to nearly the same 
thing, so perfectly carried away with eyeless optimism as 
to ignore personal responsibility for results. He was a 
Christian optimist, rather than an optimistic Christian. 
He used to say, "I never have any disappointments, 
because I let God make all my appointments.^^ He 
committed himself loholly to God, and then trusted in 
Him. He did accept everything concerning himself as 
from God, but it was as a Christian he did it. He was 
neither an optimist or a pessimist in the modern popular 
meaning of those terms. 

We give ^vhat in itself seems a trivial incident, but 
the sequel shows what a great result sometimes come 
from little things. He and I had been to the Rich- 
mond camp-meeting, near Augusta, and were return- 
ing to Thomson. As was our custom, we carried a good 
book to read along the way. This time it was a book 
written by Dr. Asa Mahan, called "The True Believer." 
It was the book, by the by, of all others, except the 
Bible, that convicted me of the need of entire sanctifica- 
tion by showing me that I had the seed of all sin in my 
heart — unbelief. We had read the book through going 



50 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

down. We lost it in the piny woods, traveling a neigh- 
borhood road, as we came back. I regretted the loss of 
it mainly at the time because it happened to be a copy I 
had given to my oldest daughter. But Brother W^illis 
accepted it as of the Lord. I dismissed the fact from 
my mind. That was in 1877. In 1890 I was sent as 
the pastor to Asbury church, Augusta. One of the most 
devoutly religious families in the church was known by 
the name of Bead. Soon after my arrival, I was invited 
round to the house of this family to a young people's 
meeting. Imagine, if you can, my surprise to find the 
lost book lying on his table. It had been largely 
instrumental in bringing the whole family into the expe- 
rience of perfect love. He had found it soon after we 
dropped it, and had kept it in his family for thirteen 
years. My daughter's name was in the book, but dur- 
ing all these years he never had met any of my family 
until now. 

"ON with the lime, prescott, on with the lime!'' 

In the midst of great opposition to holiness. Brother 
Willis used to tell this incident to illustrate the necessity 
of pushing the doctrine on the Church : Years . ago, 
Augusta had been visited with the yellow fever scourge. 
It was therefore of the greatest importance to have the 
city thoroughly policed, and disinfected with lime. But, 
like many about holiness, the people did not like for the 
Inspector to be prying 'round their premises, especially 
their back yards, so they gave him great trouble. He 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 51 

went to the Mayor several times, and told him how 
abusive the people were, until finally the Mayor could 
stand it no longer. He cut the matter short in this 
way: '^Prescottl Prescott!! tliis city must be disin- 
fected; don't come to me any more with the opposition 
of the people — right on with the lime, Prescott — right 
on with the lime!'' Thus, he said, we must right on 
with holiness, and pay no attention to opposition. 

THE SIX OF evil SPEAKING. 

For this sin he had a special horror. He became 
aroused as to its frequency and enormity in the Church 
in this way : He had Mr. Wesley's sermon on the "Cure 
and Prevention of Evil Speaking" in tract form. 

Our custom was, when we were out in the country, to 
go to the woods to read, meditate and pray. We read 
that sermon, and re-read it. Then we got down and 
read it on our knees, and by the time we got through 
with the third reading we were both thoroughly con- 
victed that we were guilty of this most common sin. I 
was so full of the subject that I was obliged to preach 
on it, which I did a few days afterwards. At the close 
I called for penitents on that line, and Miller was the first 
to come; finally the whole church came. Brother Willis 
was prostrate on the floor crying for mercy for himself 
and the balance of us. I called on him to lead in the 
prayer. Never shall I forget that prayer. It took on a 
personal form in an unusual degree, and he prayed with 
awful vehemence. One petition T remember actually 



52. Life of S. Miller Willis. 

frightened me. It was, that ^^God may strike me 
(him) dead, rather than to let me (him) be guilty of the 
sin of evil speaking.'^ I wish the whole church would 
read that sermon of Mr- Wesley^s and get under convic- 
tion as Miller Willis did. 

HI8 RULE OF GIVING. 

A great many people thought he was a religious pau- 
per, going about living on the charity of the people. 
This was a great mistake. His broCher in Charlestou, S. 
C, Maj. Willis, or his brother-in-law, Mr. Eobt. Adam, 
of Spartanburg, S. C, at whose house he died, Mr. 
Sam Hunter, of Athens, Ga., Josiah Miller, whose house 
was his home when in Augusta, Ga., and hundreds of 
others all over Georgia and South Carolina, were ready 
at any moment to supply his every want. But he liter- 
ally obeyed his divine Lord, taking ^^no thought for the 
morrow,'^ and yet he was seldom without money. 

His rule of giving was one-half. If some one gave 
him $10.00, he set apart f 5.00 of it as the Lord's — and 
he frequently gave the other five also. He paid his 
church dues regularly. Frequently he would not hear 
his pastor once a year preach, but he faithfully paid his 
quarterage. 

THE TRIAL OF HIS FAITH. 

This was frequent, and often sharp, and sometimes for 
quite a while; but as a rule it was simply a ^^ fiery dart'' 
from the adversary, and failing to make any impression, 
it was soon over. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 53 

When he first began to have hemorrhages — once I 
remember in particular — it was in Gainesville, Ga. He 
was up stairs, and was bleeding fearfully. He could 
not, for quite a time, make any one hear; it looked like 
his time had come. The enemy was there, and said: 
" Well, you have often said you were ready now, this 
moment, if God should call you to go. The moment has 
come; can you say it now?" Instantly his faith answered 
back: ^^Yes, glory to God! I'm ready." 

'^NOW, SAY AMEN." 

"1 was going from Augusta to Athens, and from Ath- 
ens over to Macon, and from there to Fair Mount, in 
Gordon county, Georgia. After I had been on the train 
for some time, I missed my satchels, with all I had on 
earth in them. I had been at so many diflPerent places 
on my route, I could not for the life of me tell where I 
had left them. I would think one moment I had left 
them in Athens on the railroad platform, and then I 
would think no, I must have left them in Macon. I 
became perfectly confused in my mind. Something said 
to me : ^ Say amen ! you tell everybody else to say amen ; 
now take your own medicine.' I said: ^Lord, every 
thing I have in the world is in those satchels — all my 
clothes and books; all I have been gathering for years;' 
and still something said: ^Say amen.' Then I said: 
^I will; though he slay me, yet will I trust him.' I 
put my hand in my pocket-book ; it felt heavy ; I knew it 
was not filled with money. I opened it, and almost 



54 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

praised the Lord aloud, as I repeated 137th Psalm and 
1st verse: ^I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise 
shall continually be in my mouth/ There in my pock- 
et-book were three checks for my satchels — a thing I 
had never done before, as I always took them in the 
train with me.' 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 55 



CHAPTER VI. 



In Charleston, S. C. — His First Experience in 
Open Air Meetings, Together with Many 
Other Exciting Scenes and Narrow Escapes 
WITH His Life, Which He Passed Through in 
Prosecuting His Work. 

His brother, Major Ed. Willis, and his sister, Mrs. 
Robert M. Adam, both being in Charleston, prevailed 
on him sometime about the years 1878-1880, to come 
down there, and for a time he claimed that as his 
home. He became a member of Trinity church. In 
1878 Rev. J. S. Tuskip held a great meeting in this 
church. It had been in a cold, dead state. 

Miller and a few others covenanted to meet and pray 
together for one hundred nights, or until God sent a 
revival. That was, perhaps, the longest protracted prayer- 
meeting on record. But the revival came. God sent 
it through John S. Tuskip. 

Several hundred were converted and joined the church. 

It was here that Miller first engaged in street meet- 
ings. He had some thrilling experiences. He was ar- 
rested by the police, but on application to the Mayor 
permission was granted him to hold the meetings. "At 
first," he says, "I stood alone in these meetings." Then 
his brother-in-law, R. M. Adam, joined him, and at the 



56 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

last, Thos. H. Leitch, now, and for several years past, an 
evangelist of great power. The Lord blessed these 
meetings. He says the Lord helped to talk, and men 
joined Trinity from the meeting, and all the stir was on 
that corner. 

MEN CURSED HIM. 

"When I began to hold these meetings,'^ he says in 
the account he gives, "men cursed me and shook their 
fists in my face, and called me all the bad names they 
could think ot. I was holding a meeting one evening 
when a dear man came up and said, ^The workman is 
worthy of his hire,^ and gave me a silver dollar. The 
wicked men began to say I was paid to do this thing, so 
I threw the dollar as far as I could send it. Some little 
darkies picked it up. I felt real bad about it, and tried 
to find the good brother that gave it to me, but could 
not." He thought it compromised him with these 
wicked people; but he learned better afterwards than to 
throw money away that the Lord sent him. "Halle- 
lujah to our God! there have been men who told me 
that that corner is the only place where they dared to 
hear the Gospel. Whether that be so or not, I tell it to 
the glory of God. 1st Cor. x:31." It seems from an 
entry he makes in his memorandum that the pastor 

there, Brother , told him he made folks nervous 

in the church. This is his entry in reply: "God know- 
eth the way I take." 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 57 

he is knocked down by a barkeeper. 

''In Charleston, S. C, in 1879, one bright day, walk- 
ing down East Bay, where I had often reproved or 
exhorted the barkeepers, one great double-jointed Irish 
brother walked out of his bar-room as I came along, and 
raising his great fist, struck me on top of the head, 
knocking me down. He hurt my neck quite badly. I 
walked on, but my neck pained me. At dinner I met 
my brother-in-law. He says, 'What's the matter with 
your neck?' I asked him who told him anything about 
my neck. He said he wanted to know what was wrong 
with me. I asked him if he could see that there was any- 
thing wrong with me, for then I was in pain, but did 
not want to say anything about it. I know what I 
would have done and what I would have said before 
God sanctified my soul. I'm afraid I would have out 
with my knife and used it, or attempted to; but I did 
praise God I was accounted worthy to suffer for Jesus' 
sake. Oh, hallelujah to God for the love that bears all 
things ! " And yet there are some of our Bishops who say 
about this that none have attained it. According to 
their view, God has laid down rules that no man can fol- 
low. Now, reader, do you believe this? Isaiah 55 and 
7, and also Isaiah 35 and 8. 

HOW HIS WORDS WERE BLESSED TO THE CONVERSION OF 
A YOUNG MAN. 

"Revival services were being held in Dr. 's 



Presbyterian church, in Charleston. Great crowds were 



58 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

going day and night. A young man asked me which 
car he must take to Dr. B.^s church. I told him he 
could take the red-light car and go to the bar-room, and 
the pleasure resorts, and to hell; or he could take the 
white-light car, and be in good company with serious 
folks, go to the Presbyterian church, and to Heaven by 
getting holiness, like Hebrews 12 and 14. This young 
man was converted that night, and when he told his 
experience, he said: 'I met Brother Willis, and he told 
me the red-light car would take me to hell, but the 
white-light car would lead me in the way to Heaven. 
So I resolved to-night, at any cost, to go to Heav^en. 
God has converted my soul.' That was a word fitly 
spoken. ^ Words fitly spoken are like apples of gold in 
pictures of silver.' To God be all the glory.'' 

WRITING IN FRONT OF EAGLE ENGINE HOUSE, IN 1878, 
CHARLESTON, S. C. 

^^ I was passing there one day, where there were a lot of 
drunken men. I had a piece of chalk in my hand. I 
stooped :dowu on the flagstones and wrote: ^Come to 
Jesus now — prepare to meet thy God,' and walked on. 
He had gone about ten steps when the drunken crowd 
came out to see what I had written. Says one : ^ Just see 
what the old crazy fool has written down here,' and 
they all took a hearty laugh over it. Three years after 
this I was up in a mission meeting, conducted by Brother 
Beard, a city missionary, when a man arose in the meet- 
ing and said : ' Brethren, I want to say a word. Three 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 59 

years ago, I and a lot of drunkeo men were standing in 
Eagle Engine House, when an old man passed by, crazy, 
as I then thought, and wrote on the flagstones in front 
of the engine house : ^ Come to Jesus now — prepare to 
meet thy God.' I walked out and read them with the 
crowd, and laughed at and cursed the man who wrote 
them. But I could not get rid of them — day and night 
they followed me. I drank more and more, but these 
words haunted me. I resolved to get rid of them, by 
having a big drunk; so I told my wife not to bother 
me. I got a small keg of whiskey and put it by my 
bed. I would call my wife every now and then to fill 
up another bottle. After I had been drunk about twelve 
days and nights, I called for my pistol. I placed it, as 
I thought, against my forehead, determined to destroy 
myself. I pulled the trigger and shot the hair off the top 
of my head; the ball passed through the headboard into 
the wall. My wife came rushing in, thinking I was 
dead. But I awoke to my senses, and resolved there 
and then to ^come to Jesus' and ^prepare to meet God.' 
Brethren, I am a Christian to-day. The man who wrote 
on those flagstones is present in this meeting. I am 
happy in the love of God, and a good husband and father. 
If there is a man present who is nearer hell than I was, 
I should like to see him.' " 

In the day of final reckoning hundreds of such cases 
will appear, I have no doubt, to the glory of God, and a 
crown of rejoicing to this holy man. 



60 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

how dr. got the blessing of sanctification. 

'^ Dr. , at Old , was a member of one of 

Brother \s churches, in county, Georgia. 

Brother was preaching a holiness sermon. Dr. 

said : ^ I cannot understand it.^ Many brethren 

and sisters were entering into this rest of faith, like John 
xvii: 17 ; 1 John iv: 17. I said : ^ Doctor, suppose all 
the church was shut up, not a ray of light could be seen 
in any part of it — suppose a window glass was taken out 
and covered over with black paper, so that not a ray of 
light could enter. The sun was shining brightly outsid'e, 
and some one walked up with a needle and stuck a small 
hole through the black paper; immediately a ray of sun- 
shine came through and you saw it. Now, Doctor, God 
will not give you a ray of light until you believe.^ In an 
instant he said: /I see it, and if that is it, I have got it.^ 
The Lord filled his soul and he began to praise God. 1 
John iv: 17-18 — 'Herein is our love made perfect; that 
we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because 
as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in 
love ; but perfect love casteth out fear ; because fear hath 
torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.' '' 
Of all the other workers I ever knew he was the most 
untiring, as he was also the most successful in leading 
souls, either for conversion or sanctification, into the 
light. May the Lord raise up others like him in this 
respect, as well as in others. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 61 

brother william , and how he was con- 
VERTED. 

" I was ill . I was walking across street 

one evening; Brother was standing in front of 

his splendid house. I said, ^Brother , you have 

all that heart could wish for in this world — splendid 
home, good wife, good children. All this and Heaven 
would be glorious; but all this and hell would be 
awful.' ^ What shall it profit a man, ii he gain the 
whole world and lose his soul?' That talk in the hands 

of God, so Brother said in a meeting where I 

was present, resulted in his conversion. All the glory 
to God; he has since been a useful member of the Pres- 
byterian Church." 

HOW HE SPOKE TO A MAX AND WHAT CAME OF IT. 

'^I was in , Ga., and Brother was 

holding a meeting there. I was walking on the street 
and saw a brother riding in a buggy with either his wife 
or daughter, I did not know which, when I called out 
to him, ^Are you a. converted man? Do you know if you 
were to die you would go to Heaven?' He drove on 
and made me no answer. Next morning I was walking 
down town, and I stopped in front of a blacksmith's 
shop, and said to the same man I spoke to in the buggy 
the evening before, ^Brother, there is an old book that 
says, ' AVhat shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole 
world and lose his soul?' He says to me: 'If ever you 
speak to me on the subject of religion again, I will 



62 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

jump on you and break every bone in your body.^ I 
told him he would break God's bones then, for I had 
turned my soul and body over to the Lord. I walked 
on down to the corner of the street, and then came back 
again, feeling that I was a coward. I walked in front 
of the shop again. I thought to myself, if they are 
God^s bones, as you say, do your duty and fear not. I 
stood in front of the door and pointing my finger in the 
brother's face, in six feet of him, I said in rather a loud 
voice: 'Proverbs, twenty-ninth chapter and first verse, 
He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall 
suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.' I 
stepped oif again and had not gone- far when I met 

Brother . I said to him: 'I spoke to a brother 

in a buggy on the street yesterday, because I felt the 
Lord said, 'Call out to him.' I did call out; but when 
I spoke to him again this morning he told me if I ever 
spoke to him again he would 'jump on me and break 
every bone in me.' I have spoken to him since then — 
just now — but I feel I must speak to him once more; 
now what must I say?' He replied: ^Go to him and 
say, Prepare to meet thy God!' I did so, and felt as 
clear as an angel of his blood. I left some days after. 
On the train — I think at the first or second station — 
they asked me, 'Have you heard the news?' I said 
'^o; what is it?' They said, 'You spoke to Brother 

about his soul [he called everybody brother — 

Ed.] and he threatened to kill you; he sent out on the 
street this morning — said he wanted to see you and beg 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 63 

your pardon — that he was dying, and was going to 
Heaven; he had joined the Presbyterian church !^^ 

HOW HE SPOKE TO ANOTHER MAN IN THE SAME 
TOWN, AND THE END OF HIM. 

" As Brother was walking up the street, I 

said, ^Brother, you are a man bound for the judgment.' 
* Yes,' said he, 'and you go back to Augusta and attend 
to your own business. We have preachers up here, and, 
besides, I don't want any of your preaching to me on 
the street, anyhow.' I said: 'Woe to the man that 
putteth the bottle to his neighbor ' — ' woe unto him that 
giveth his neighbor drink, and maketh him drunken 
also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness.' He 
swore dreadfully that he did not want to knock me doAvn. 
I said, ' AVell, beloved, I am going to leave you. Pre- 
pare to meet thy God.' I left the town, and soon after 
I heard that he fell from his horse and broke his neck." 

CONVERTED ON THE SPOT. 

" Before I left I was going on the street from 

the woods, where I used to go to be alone and 
pray. I saw a sister up in her porch. 'Sister, except 
ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall 
not enter into the kingdom of heaven,' and pointing 
my finger at her as I spoke, I walked on. Next morn- 
ing she stood up in Brother 's lovefeast, and she 

began to shout and praise the Lord. She said : ' A crazy 
man passed my house, and pointing his finger at me^ 



64 Life of S. Millee Willis. 

said: ^Except ye be converted and become as little 
children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.' 
She said : ^The spirit of God carried the message home, 
to my heart on the spot, and the Lord has converted 
my soul.' '' 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 65 



CHAPTER VII. 



A CoNTIXUATIO^^ OF His Work, Including Expe- 

PERIENCES THAT ReMIND THE READER OF THE 

Heroic Days of Methodism — A Policeman 
Waiting at the Door of the Church to Take 
Him to Jail. 

"Brother and myself dropped into 



church. A brother walked up to me and said: ' Now, be 
quiet, for there's a policeman at the door waiting for you. 
If you do not keep quiet he will take you out.' I said, 
^ Brother, if God says be quiet, I'll be quiet as a mouse, 
but ^ we ought to obey God rather than man.' He 
answered : ' You must be quiet now, or I'll call the 
policeman.' I looked up in the organ loft, and there 
Avere brethren with newspapers reading them, and walk- 
ing about. I said: 'Suppose you go up stairs and quiet 
those brethren, and then come and regulate me.' I ex- 
pect I slapped my hands a little too loud, whereupon 
one of the brothers caught them, saying, ' You must be 
quiet !' Seeing I would not be allowed to worship God 
according to the dictates of my conscience, I rose up 
and walked out. As I struck the street, the thought 
flashed all over me : ' You have done wrong to come 
out of the house of God for fear of man.' So at night 
Brother , Brother and myself started 



66 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

back to service. I told them as we were going back, 
^I am going to make all the noise I please this night.^ 
I walked in and stamped as I walked in; slapped my 

hands. I had previously said to Brother and 

Brother , ' here's one man who will be carried to 

jail out of a Methodist church/ when, to my surprise, 
the preacher came down from the pulpit and said to me : 
^Here, Brother Willis, is a five-dollar bill; you may 
need a little money, as you travel around.^ I said to 

Brother : ' I went to church yesterday morning 

in all good conscience to serve God, when I was threat- 
ened with being put in jail. I came to church to night 
with no single eye to please God, and the preacher came 
and shook hands with me, invited me to come and spend 
some time with him — the children, especially, wanted to 

see me and talk with me.^ I left thinking that it 

would take a man like Daniel to live in some churches 
without backsliding. But all glory to our God that 
we are down here in Florida, years afterwards, Isaiah 
xxvi and 3: ^In perfect peace, because our mind is 
stayed on God,' and we are trusting Him moment by 
moment. Hallelujah to our God. Amen V^ 

THE OLD MAN WHO JUST GETS SAVED IN TIME. 

"Brother Frank Farris asked me to come down in 
Richmond county, near Augusta, and help him. One 
evening, about half-past five o'clock, we were going on 
our way to one of his meetings. We saw an old brother 
near the road plowing corn — the corn was about three 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 67 

and a half inches high, and it was tasseliug out. Brother 
F. said to him, * Don't you want to go to the better land?' 
The old brother said: ^I want to go to a better land 
than this/ pointing to his little corn. 'Well, we are 
having a good meeting over here at the Methodist church. 
Come over to-night.' The old brother came, and oh, 
what a sermon we had. Then Brother Farris asked all 
to come up to the altar to be prayed for. The old 
brother came, and the third night the Lord w^onderfully 
converted him; he was happy for three weeks. He took 
sick and went shouting home to Heaven. He praised 
Jesus for the day that the two Methodist preachers come 
to ask him to meeting. 'Oh!' he says, 'I just got in in 
time.' Reader, how is it with you? Can you say like 
this poor old man, if you were called now, that you 
would be just in time? Second Corinthians, 6th chap- 
ter, 2d verse : ' Behold, now is the accepted time ; behold, 
now^ is the day of salvation.' Reader, is this your expe- 
rience?" 

FAST TRAIN AND THE COLLISION. 

"We were on the Georgia railroad from Augusta to 
Atlanta. The train was running from thirty to forty 
miles an hour. All at once there was a tremendous 
crash, and all of us were pitched forward on our faces, 
and oh ! what a grinding noise, like timbers breaking to 
pieces. We were in the last car, and the back door was 
open. All the passengers, except one sister with a baby, 
and a young man, were out before I knew what was the 



68 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

matter. I stood up in the car and said: ^I am trusting 
in God^ who are you trusting in?' I did not know but 
in one moment more we might go down through a 
bridge one hundred feet high on rocks or into the water. 
But I knew they who trust in God shall be as Mount 
Zion, which cannot be moved — Psalm 125 and 1st 
verse — and I did not think a railroad train could move 
a mountain ; so I was in peace. Praise God for a peace 
that railroad accidents can't take away. Only the sister 
wdth the babe in her arms, and the young man, with 
myself, were left in the car. I said: ^Sister, I do not 
blame you for not jumping off, but why did you not 
jump off, young man?' ^Oh, I was paralyzed.' ^Well, 
you are not to be blamed either,' I replied." 

HE SPOKE TO A YOUNG MAN ON THE STREETS IN AU- 
GUSTA. 

A few days after, this young man and a young lady 
were out in a boat on a mill pond, when the boat cap- 
sized and they were both drowned. 

DEATHS IN ATLANTA. 

He speaks of several deaths in Atlanta during the 
months of June and July, 1890, soon after he had 
spoken to them the word of the Lord. 

WHY HE RECORDS THESE REMINISCENCES. 

I find this entry in his blank book: ^^ There is but 
one reason for writing these thoughts. Perhaps there 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 69 

may be some one in my condition, and they may help 
him. Pray over each page, and God grant they may be 
a blessing, is the prayer of your less than the least 
brother — 1st Thes. 5 and 23. S. Miller Willis, 

Greenville, Fla., Madison county, Jan. 16, 1890.'^ 
Also this entry: '^For fear when I die it may not 
be in writing when I was sanctified, I write it now in 
ray Bible: Converted in 1864, and sanctified the sixth 
day of October, 1877, thirteen years after. All glory 
to Jesus for it. Your less than the least brother — 1st 
Thes. 5 and 23. S. Miller Willis.'' 



^^ I sought it like Mark xi: 24. ^Therefore, I say 
unto you, w^hat things soever ye desire, when ye pray, 
believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.' 
I received it at White Oak church, while Brother Dunlap 
was preaching from Ephesians iii: 14 to 21. ^For this 
cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord, 
Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and 
earth are named. That He would grant you, according 
to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might 
by His spirit in the inner man ; that Christ may dwell 
in your hearts by faith ; that ye, being rooted and 
grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all 
saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and 
height ; and to know the love of Christ that passeth 
knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of 
God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abun- 



70 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

dantly above all that we ask or think, according to the 
power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the 
church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world with- 
out end, Amen.' I thought if God was able to do all 
that, surely He is able to sanctify a little fellow like me 
and in a moment the Lord came into my soul and drove 
^ the buyers and the sellers out,' and filled me with that 
xxii in Mathew, beginning at 37th verse: ^ Jesus said 
unto him, ^Thoushalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy 
heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.' This is the 
first and great commandment, and the second is like unto it. 
^Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.' On these 
two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. 
I made all hear me, saying, ^I know when I was con- 
verted like Mathew xviii and 24. ^ Except ye be con- 
verted and become as little children, ye shall not enter 
into the kingdom of heaven.' Yes, I got converted, 
and that as bright as any living man ever was. Oh that 
I may be faithful unto death, and the Lord has prom- 
ised me a crown. Rev. ii and 10. And if there are 
starry crowns, I want one of them, too. But a more 
excellent way was for me, and I sought and found it 
after my conversion, to the joy and consolation of my 
soul, in 1 Thes. v and 23. I found after conversion I 
could not answer in my own heart such as 2d Corin- 
thians, seventh chapter and first verse : ' Having, 
therefore, these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse 
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, per- 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 71 

fecting holiness in the fear of God.' That passage, as 

Brother would say, came to me and showed me 

there was something wrong in me. I heard Brother 

tell how he was convicted for a pure heart. He 

was a medical man before he was a preacher. One day 
as he was riding along, his horse stumbled, and it made 
him mad. He struck the animal with his whip in the 
eye and put it out. ^ There now,' said he, ^ if I had 
been a Christian I would not have done that; there 
is something wrong inside.' Then this wonderful 
passage came to him and he said : ^ I am not cleansed 
from all filthiness of the flesh,' or I would not have 
struck my horse that way. 

^^When I heard him tell that, I said, well, some of 
our good brethren say they got it all when the Lord 
converted them. I knew I did not, and the Lord gave 
me the second blessing, as Mr. Wesley says, ^properly 
so-called.' I knew if I could bring to bear the required 
faith, I should have the ^second benefit.' — 2d Cor- 
inthians, 1 and 15. Oh, hallelujah! and Amen! and 
praise the Lord! for the ^second benefit' of entire sanc- 
tification! or perfect love; or holiness, as in Isaiah 
XXXV and 8, 'And a highway shall be there, and a way, 
and it shall be called the Way of Holiness.' The un- 
clean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for those; 
the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.' 
Mathew fifth and eighth calls it a 'pure heart.' No 
matter what we call it, if we hold fast to Bible terms. 



72 Life of S. Millee Willis. 

But let us stand by the ^law and the testimony/ remem- 
bering what Jesus said — ^ If any man be ashamed of Me 
and my words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed 
when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Fath- 
er's, and of His holy angels/' See Luke ix and 26. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 73 



CHAPTER YIII. 



His Visit to the Circuit, Xorth Georgia 

Conference, and the Work of God in That 
Charge While He Was There- — Taken from 
His Memorandum Book. 

"1880. A crazy man! With Brother Dunlap around 
Church. Brother D. preached, and oh, the 



opposition at first. But it soon gave Avay under the 
power of the Holy Ghost. In the beginning of the 
meeting no word was too bad to be used against any one 
who professed to be sanctified, nor did they hesitate to 
destroy their property; and I guess, like one of old, 
they thought they were doing God\s service. Some one 

went to a buggy belonging to Dr. and cut his 

dashboard to pieces. He said not a word of condemna- 
tion. Nearly all thought I was a crazy man. Dr. 

invited Brother Dunlap and me to go spend the 

night with him. We accepted the invitation, and 
Avere treated like princes." 

HOW DR. AND HIS WIFE AND SON GOT SANCTI- 
FIED. 

'^ About midnight we heard a knock at our door, then 

the voice of Dr. , saying: 'Oh, brethren! get 

up! get up!^ Brother D. got up, and then I. 'What^s 



74 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

the matter, beloved?^ ^Oh/ said the Doctor, ^I cannot 
sleep; I am in great darkness; I must have this ques- 
tion settled; I cannot live in this state; I must have 
light, and have it now.' We began to pray, first one 

and then the other, Brother taking his turn with 

us. Finally, while I was praying, the light began to 
break in, and he cried, ^Pve got it! I am a sanctified 
man ! ' Then we three praised the Lord like the men of 
old. Acts xvi and 25: ^And at midnight Paul and 
Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God, and the prison- 
ers heard them.' Well, Sister heard us', and so 

did her oldest son; they both came rushing into the 
room. Now, the Doctor wanted his wife to enjoy the 
same experience. We began to sing and pray with her, 
and Jesus, accordi^ng to His word, Matthew xxi and 22d 
verse: ^And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in 
prayer, believing, ye shall receive,' was faithful to His 
promise. We asked the Lord to sanctify her, and He 
came in mighty power and did it. John xvii and 17th 
verse: 'Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy word is 
truth.' She cried and praised God, too. Things w^ere 
getting noisy now; but not greater than Acts, second 
chapter, and from first to fourth verses: 'And when the 
day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one 
accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound 
from Heaven as of a rushing, mighty wind, and it filled 
all the house w^here they were sitting. And there ap- 
peared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it 
sat upon them, and they were all filled with the Holy 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 75 

Ghost, and they began to speak as the Spirit gave them 
utterance.' 

^^The thirteenth verse of second chapter of Acts says: 
^ Others mocking, said : These men are full of new wine.' 

This is about what the good people about said of 

Brother D. and myself, until the Lord raised up witness 
after witness to praise and bless God that ^in the twink- 
ling of an eye, Jesus's blood can sanctify.' Yes, -whoso- 
ever can say with their whole heart, ' Trustingly my all 
I give,' will be able to say, experimentally, ^Perfect 
cleansing I receive.' 

^^ Hallelujah I This is my experience. When I gave 
up all, Jesus came in and took possession of my poor 
soul." 

DR. DID NOT THINK HE AVAS CRAZY. 

''When we went to church next day the brethren all 
wanted to know of the Doctor what he thought of the 
crazy man. 'Brethren,' said the noble Christian gen- 
tleman, ' I was the crazy man.' Since that time his 
precious wife has gone home to heaven in great triumph. 
Mr. Wesley said in his day: 'Our people die well.' 
But a greater than Mr. W. has said — Psalm xxxvii: and 
37: 'Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, 
for the end of that man is peace.' Yes, bless God, 
peace to live with, and peace to die with. A peace that 
flows like a river. I know I have Second Corinthians 
fifth chapter and first verse : 'For we know that if our 
earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have 



76 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

a building of God, an house not made with hands, eter- 
nal in the heavens/^ 

THE AEBOR. 

^' Brother D. and I went to Arbor, about twelve 

miles from , in county, Ga. (A Methodist 

church has since been built here. The incidents he re- 
lates occurred in 1881. — Ed.) We talked to all freely 
about their souls. A brother came to us and said: ^ You 
and Brother D. hav^e been talking to my father, a man 
old enough to be your father, and the best Christian in 
all this country.^ Brother D. told him he had no idea of 
talking to him, but he came to us and wanted to know 
if we could give him any light on the great subject of 
entire sanctification. We told him it was all embraced 
in the words of Jesus, Math, xxii and 37 : ' Thou shalt 
love the Lord thy God mth all thy heart,' etc. As we 
talked to him the Lord came upon him in mighty power. 
Acts, i and 8. He fell over in the straw and shouted 

aloud the praise of Jesus.'' (This was Brother , 

and, sure enough, he was one of the most consecrated 
men in the N. Circuit. But he was a great slave to the 
use of tobacco, and had never had any conviction of its 
filthiness until he received the light of holiness. Al- 
though he was past fifty years of age, he gave it up 
without a moment's hesitancy, and I have heard him say 
since, often, if sanctification did no more for him than 
to save him from tobacco, it was worth all it cost to get 
it. His dear sister, Mrs. , got gloriously sanctified 



Life of S. Millek Willis. 77 

during this meeting, and gave up her pipe, after being a 
slave to it for many years. She so lived and demonstrated 
it in her life as to convince many gainsayers of its -truth. 
She died a few years since, a bright witness to the glorious 
experience of perfect love and entire sanctification, as a 
subsequent work of grace to regeneration, received and 
lived by simple faith in Jesus. But we will let Miller 
continue his narrative. — Ed.) ^^ One M. D. got the ex- 
perience after this manner. He said it was not for him, 
for he had sought night and day, but could find no 
peace. ^Oh/ said he, 'if I could be happy like you 
people, then I would tell it too.' I said: 'Doctor, if 
you had a patient under your care, and you were to give 
him three different medicines, and he were to take one or 
two, but declined to take the other, saying he did not 
think it was the right kind for his case, what would you 
say to him V 'I would say, get another doctor, for I can 
do you no good, if you will not obey my orders.' 'Doc- 
tor, you obey Je^us, just as you require your patient to 
obey you, and you shall have the sweet peace to come 
into your soul.' He came to the altar and said : ' I do 
now and forever give myself to God, and here and now 
I claim Matthew, first chapter and twenty-first verse : 
' Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His 
people from their sins.' ' I said : ' Xow, Doctor, you 
can believe, can't you ?' ' Yes, yes.' ' Well, then, make 
a profession of your faith, like Hebrew^s, tenth chapter 
and twenty-third verse.' He said : 'lean. Twill; I do 
believe that Jesus saves me now.' But it was not until 



78 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

the next morning, while he was in the very act of 
confessing the Lord Jesus as his sanctifier, that the wit- 
ness- came into his heart by the Holy Ghost that he was 
wholly sanctified. Oh! what a stir it created. About 
forty, more or less, were saved under that bush arbor; 
praise our Jesus for it. Some of them stand to-day, hal- 
lelujah and praise to our dear Redeemer ! Some of the 
workers, and some of those who sought and found 
peace, have moved to their mansions above. Since those 
bright and happy days Sister H. and Sister M. can look 
down from their home on high and see many who, when 
that bush arbor meeting commenced, were on their way 
to death and hell, but are now marching for heaven.'^ 

A MAN WHO COMES TO CHUECH TO MOCK IS SUD- 
DENLY SEIZED WITH AWFUL CEAMP ALL OVEE HIS 
BODY. 

Many thrilling incidents occurred during the series of 
protracted meetings held this year on the N. Circuit, 
while Brother Willis was with me. I will relate one or 

two. It was at church. A man came out one 

Sunday. Many had been stricken down by the power 
of the Holy Spirit, and had either professed conversion, 
or was seeking — while some believers had been sancti- 
fied; but this man had made his brags that he could not 
be moved by any such fanaticism. He took his seat in 
the back part of the church, and began in every possible 
way to show his contempt for the service, except by 
some overt act which would amount to an open disturb- 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 79 

ance. About the time penitents were being invited for- 
ward he was suddenly seized with a physical spasm. 
His body was drawn into almost every conceivable 
shape. He fairly bellowed from pain. He was carried 
home in that condition, and a physician was sent for, but 
medicine seemed powerless to relieve him. He sent for 
Brother Willis and myself. We prayed for him, but it 
was far into the evening before he obtained relief. 
Brother Willis made this laconic remark: "Well, he 
came to make fun, but he nearly got killed. '^ 

NEARLY TURNED OUT OF DOORS. 

We went to a prominent church in the circuit. 

After service one of the best and principal men of the 
church invited me home with him, and of course I took 
Miller with me. This brother had a son who was him- 
self a Primitive Baptist, and he had married a wife who 
was out and out on that line. They were living in the 
house. Miller, of course, as usual, had a word for every 
one. This good woman could not bear him in her sight. 
She went to her husband and told him the two could not 
stay in the same house — "either that crazy fool had to 
go, or she would." He went to his father, and the dear 
old brother came to me. He protested his regrets, but 
said Miller would have to go. I said: "All right; if 
Miller Willis can't stay here, I can't either.'' Certainly 
I did not blame the dear old man, but I did pit^ him. 



80 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

the brother who claimed that the holy spirit 
had left him. 

The most remarkable case of this sort I ever knew 
occurred in one of oiir meetings, or rather was discov- 
ered, for he had been in that condition for years, so he 
claimed. A brother, intelligent, educated, an examplary 
member of the church — would pray in public, was a 
kind, loving husband and father, and yet he believed the 
Holy Spirit had left him. 

Brother Willis and I labored with him — prayed with 
him publicly and privately, but seemingly all to no pur- 
pose. His wife was a consecrated, holy woman. He 
loved Miller, and would do any thing he said. I have 
known them to spend hours in the woods together, at 
Miller^s request, but the brother never manifested any 
feeling; all he did was mechanical; he said he had no 
feeling. I never saw Miller Willis more drawn out for 
any man. He ahvays believed the brother was under a 
most powerful temptation of the enemy. For years he 
wrote to this dear brother, and as long as he lived he 
prayed for him. 

If these lines should fall under the eyes of that broth- 
er or his saintly wife, they will know who I am writing 
about, although I call no name. They are among my 
dearest friends on earth, and our sainted Miller will 
expect to meet both of them in Heaven. 



Life of S. Millee Willis. 81 

salem camp-meeting. 

Miller went with me to this camp-meeting on the 
Circuit. Dr. Jesse Boring was the Presiding 



Elder. Brother Willis created a sensation, you may 
depend, as he always did, on his first arrival. Dr. B. 
gave him the right-of-way, and he soon won the best 
people on the encampment; but, as everywhere, he cap- 
tured the children first. In 1881-2, I was stationed at 
St. P., in Atlanta. Miller came to help me as usual. 
This was his first visit to the city, where he afterwards 
had some thrilling experiences, as related by himself and 
Brother M. D. Smith. He soon became greatly beloved 
by the best people in the church, and was instrumental 
in the conversion, reclamation and sanctification of some 
who will meet him in Heaven. 



82 Life of S. Miller Willis. 



CHAPTER IX. 



With Rev. E. B. Reese, on Fairmount Circuit, North 
Georgia Conference — An Account of the Won- 
derful Work of Grace on that Charge as 
Related by Himself, Together with an Article 
Written by Rev. W. A. Parks, and Published 
IN THE ^^ Wesley AN Christian Advocate.^' 

There was no man among us whom he delighted to be 
with more than Rev. E. B. Reese, of the North Georgia 
Conference. In the fullest and best sense, they were 
"true yoke fellows.'^ ISo one sustained a greater per- 
sonal loss in the kinship of twin spirits on earth than 
Brother Reese when Miller left us. No one knew both 
the inner and the outward man of Miller Willis better 
than Dr. Reese. He came all the way from Watkinsville 
to Augusta, in response to a telegram, to attend his 
funeral. No one could have written the true life of our 
sainted brother better than Brother R.; indeed, he can 
furnish data which no one else can, and I had relied on 
him for at least one chapter in his life. 

I will give such facts as I find in Miller's memoranda. 
The record as I find it, is confined to the years 1881~'82, 
when Brother Reese was on the Fairmont Circuit. These 
were pentecostal years in Brother R.'s ministry, and he 



J 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 83 

attributed his success largely to Miller Willis being with 
him. 

There was great opposition to the preacher and his 
helper, on account of the doctrine of Holiness, which 
they preached and urged with great boldness, both pub- 
licly and privately. While there was more or less of 
this from some who were in the Methodist Church, it 
come mainly from members of other churches. But 
these men of God pressed the battle to the gate, and 
stirred up the devil generally. So bitter was this spirit 
for a time that they found some difficulty in finding a 
place at which to stop. But they lived on their knees, 
and the result was, the power of God bore down all ob- 
stacles before them. 

The revival fire broke out all over the circuit, and 
hundreds were converted and added to the church, while 
the standard of holy living was lifted to an attitude such 
as had hardly ever been known before, while some be- 
lievers were wholly sanctified. Such is the uniform 
result of the faithful preaching ot Bible holiness. Mr. 
Wesley bears testimony to it in his day; the fathers of 
American Methodism in theirs, and we see from the New 
Testament what it did for the world in the beginning; 
and blessed be God, some of us know in our own expe- 
rience and observation that the Holy Ghost honors such 
preaching as he honors no other. Oh, that He would 
restore to Methodism this distinctive characteristic of 
her early ministry. 

But it comes only to those who pay the price. Hear 



84 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

him: '^We went to Fairmount, Gordon county, Georgia 
— Brother Reese and I — to preach, teach and live holiness. 
We were told ^No use to go — every door in the place is 
closed against you.' We got down in the woods and 
cried to God, on our knees, for help — like the Psalmist 
in thirty-fourth Psalm and sixth verse : ^ This poor man 
cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all 
his troubles.' We soon found an open door for our 
entertainment. The dear brother and sister were very 
kind to us.'' One of the first meetings they held was at 
Wesley Chapel. He says: ^^Presbyterians and Baptists 
came for miles to hear the new doctrine, as they called 
it. We told them it was the Bible doctrine. The most 
spiritual of all the churches came to our meetings. The 
little church was filled to overflowing, and all around 
were men and women who could not get in. People 
came out who had not been to church for years. They 
came to see and hear the crazy man, as many of them 
called me. They looked at me with amazement. Fre- 
quently Brother R. and I would jump out through the 
windows at eleven and twelve o'clock at night, with the 
house still full of people shouting and praising God. 
Fifteen and twenty would be converted at one service. 
One man came to Brother R. and said: ^You are a 
young preacher, and just beginning to make a name for 
yourself. Now, I want to tell you: the best men, and 
the most influential, in all this country have whiskey 
made, and take their drams; my advice to you is to go 
slow in your raid against whiskey making and drink- 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 85 

ing — don't tear the church all to pieces and ruin your 
own prospect.' Brother R. told him they could not 
retain people in the church who were in league with the 
whiskey devil. Here was a test, but Brother R. told 
them lovingly they must either quit the evil or quit the 
church. The brother above referred to had something 
better in store for him — his wife was a consecrated 
Christian, and she got wholly sanctified; the result Avas 
the Holy Spirit reached his heart in mighty power. He 
was reclaimed from his fallen condition, and then glo- 
riously sanctified." 

THE MAN with A WHITE HAT ON. 

^^The church was packed as long as standing room 
could be had, with the doors and windows full. I said 
to Brother R., 'Do you see that man with the white 
hat on?' he said, 'Yes.' 'Well, that man is grieving 
the Holy Spirit, First Thesalonians, fifth chapter and 
nineteenth verse, and Genesis sixth and third.' I put 
out ray hand toward them and cried out, 'There is some 
one grieving the Holy Spirit in that crowd.' No sooner 
had I spoken than out jumped the W'hite-hatted man, he 
being the only one who moved. Two young sisters 
from a hard-shell family came and joined the church. 
After being converted, under the power of the Spirit 
they would skate along on the floor like they were on 
ice; then they would stop and praise God at the top of 
their voices like the others. From here we went to 
Pine Log Church, in Bartow county, Ga., and such a 



86 Life of S. Miller AYillis. 

time as was there! Old and young were converted. 
Some infidels were convicted and brought into the 
church, and became useful members/^ 

A WONDERFUL REVIVAL. 

Rev. W. A. Parks, P. E. of the Dalton District, 
North Georgia Conference, for the year 1881, writes to 
the Wesleyan Christian Advocate in October regarding 
this most wonderful revival in the Gordon Circuit: 

^^ There are five churches in this charge — Rev. E. B. 
Reese, pastor. Most of the churches are in the eastern 
part of the county — Old Pine Log is in Bartow. They 
have been in what may be termed a revival state for the 
last four months. Some of them held protracted meet- 
ings for three and four weeks, and then after a rest of a 
few weeks, they commenced again. Though there have 
been over one hundred conversions and accessions to 
the church, this, in the estimation of many, is a small 
part of the work accomplished. More persons have 
professed entire sanctification than have been converted. 
Brother Reese and his co-laborer, Miller Willis, have 
directed their labors in behalf of holiness for the last 
four or five months. In the beginning of their efforts 
many even of the Methodists derided, while the Baptists 
persecuted, and the world laughed. But these faithful 
men, themselves wholly consecrated to God, toiled on in 
faith until the power of the Holy Spirit overcome all 
opposition. Gray-headed men and women profess to 
have received new light, and been led into a higher life. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 87 

Young men and maidens, boys and girls, profess to have 
received sanctification. Some Baptists who at first scorned 
the work, have sought pardon, and then have gone on to 
profess holiness of heart. Men and women, who never 
spoke in public before, walk the floor back and forth, ex- 
horting sinners to flee the wrath to come. One rather re- 
markable characteristic of the meetings is, there seems 
comparatively little shedding of tears or shouting, and as 
soon as a believer professes heart purity — whether man 
or woman — they go at once to preaching, or, in other 
words, to exhorting the people as on the day of Pente- 
cost. The Gordon Circuit is full of preachers. They 
preach on the highways, in the social circle, in the 
sanctuary, and everywhere. There are constantly new 
conversions, and professions of perfect love are common 
at the prayer-meeting and the home altar. It must be 
known, too, that many of these churches have been in a 
cold, backslidden state, and considerable discipline had 
to be resorted to. The pastor does not realize the extent 
of the work, and says it is only just begun. ^^ 

Brother Willis relates these further incidents: ^^An 
old preacher came to Brother R. and said : ^ You would 
do great good if you would get rid of that man, alluding 
to me. Why he is crazy ; I have seen many like him.' 
But Brother R. did not think so. At one of our meet- 
ings a sister came to Brother R. and told him not to 
bring me to her house. Soon after that at a morning 
meeting she sprang up from where she was kneeling and 



88 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

began to exclaim : ' Oh, Pm sanctified ! I'm sanctified! 
Now, Brother Willis, you can come to my house.' " 

As long as Miller lived there was no place at which he 
was more at home than at the house of Dr. Reese, and as 
long as he was able to work, he delighted to be with his 
dear friend and brother, Dr. Reese. What a shout there 
will be when these two meet in heaven. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 89 



CHAPTER X. 



Miller AVillis and the Holiness Movement. 

He was no polemic in any critical sense of that term. 
He would not controvert. He made no pretentions to 
scholarship. He wrote brief reports sometimes of meet- 
ings, but a regular communication for publication he 
never wrote that I ever heard of; but, in a large degree, 
so far as Georgia is concerned, he was the inspiration of 
the Holiness movement. It incarnated itself in Miller 
Willis. He was the most dogmatic man I ever knew. 
He never tried to prove God^s Word to be true. He 
said it was so. He never hoped he was converted, he 
kneic it. He never hoped or believed he was w^holly 
sanctified, he knew it. I have often heard him say, "T 
know I am converted better than I know my right hand 
from my left, and I know if I were to die this moment, 
I'd go straight home to heaven.'' ^^He overcame by the 
blood of the Lamb, and the word of His testimony." — 
Rev. xii: 11. 

MILLER WILLIS AND THE HOLINESS MEETING. 

If there was one place on earth that Miller regarded 
as next to heaven, it was the holiness meeting. He was 
perfectly at home here. He could do as he pleased, and 
say what he pleased. He had a universal habit of clap- 



90 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

piDg his hands, and crying out amen, when anything 
suited him. Sometimes he would find himself in a 
church where this gave offense, both to the preacher and 
to the congregation. But in a holiness meeting he was 
perfectly free. 

The main reason, however, why he enjoyed such meet- 
ings was, because he believed that holiness was the only 
thing that embraced the Avhole Gospel. Not that he 
despised or neglected the lower forms of Christian expe- 
rience, but because rather, he believed that very few 
possessed a Scriptural experience of conversion unless 
his conviction for sin, and repentance, were founded on 
the Scriptural doctrine of entire sanctification. So that 
from the beginning^like the Wesleys — while he saw 
that men are justified before they are sanctified, yet 
^^ holiness was his aim.^' Here, then, from John Wes- 
ley's standpoint, he felt he was on solid rock in advo- 
cating and attending definite holiness meetings. There 
has been of late years much opposition to these meetings. 
The opposition has arisen from one of two reasons— 
either because they were misrepresented, or because the 
one who opposed was not a Wesleyan Methodist. Miller 
Willis was none of your modernized Methodists — he 
was Wesleyan against the whole world. He believed 
John Wesley was the greatest man since the days of the 
Apostles. He never wasted his time in reading anything 
that contravened the Wesleyan view of entire sanctifica- 
tion. He was ^^ rooted and grounded '^ in both the doc- 
trine and experience. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 91 

the holiness meetings and the street meetings. 

He was a power in a street meeting, and the street 
meeting was wonderfully effective as conducted by these 
red-hot men and women. There are men on their way 
to heaven now, that I could call by name, who would 
be in their sins and on their way to eternal death but for 
the open air service during a holiness meeting. 

Miller was given to saying startling things. I have 
known him to startle a whole congregation as if a bomb 
shell had suddenly exploded in their midst. He gloried 
in striking a blow at formalism wherever he got an op- 
portunity. This was one reason for his breaking over 
all seeming proprieties while the preacher was preaching 
sometimes, either by stamping with his foot, clapping 
his hands or crying out : " Who's believing?" Then, 
again, '^ Who's praying?" Or, yet again: ''Who's 
ready to die if he were called this moment ?" Pity 
the preacher who might be preaching a dry, dead sermon 
with ^Miller Willis in the congregation. He'd either 
have to catch on fire or quit in despair. The preachers 
had no better friend, or one that was more jealous of 
their rights. Sometimes a red-hot message from him 
W'Ould result in the pastor getting his support in full. 
At another time it would result in a new parsonage. 

One of the best parsonages in the Conference 

was hastened to completion by a single word from Miller. 
It was during a holiness meeting. The pastor was very 
much in love with his people, and they with him. They 



92 ' Life of S. Miller Willis. 

had a good church and a six hundred dollar pipe organ, 
but they had a leaky parsonage for their pastor to live 
in. They intended to build a new one, but they were 
slow about it. Miller didn't like it. The pastor was 
one of his favorites, anyway. While the pastor was up 
before an immense congregation on Sunday, saying some 
nice things about his people, all at once Miller cried out : 
^'Oh, yes, you are mighty clever ! Yes, you are clever 
enough to buy a six hundred-dollar organ for your 
church, and letyour preacher live in an old, leaky parson- 
age V^ The shot went straight to the mark. Men and 
women resolved with one accord to roll away that 
reproach at once, so that every new pastor that lives in 
that splendid house, owes it in a sense to Miller Willis. 

^^TIE THAT STOVE TO MY FEET OR I'lL GO UP.'' 

In all my intimate association with him I never saw 
Miller Willis lose his head under religious excitement. 
He often did things and said things that looked and 
sounded to those who took a cold-blooded view of every 
thing, like the doings and sayings of a crazy man. But 
in the midst of any sort of a spiritual cyclone, when 
every body seemed to be in a whirl, he could in a 
moment, and with a steady hand, take a dead aim with 
the Gospel bow, (his gun never "missed fire") and he 
but seldom failed to bring down the enemy. "Retreat or 
fall back" were words he never learned from the "Cap- 
tain of his Salvation." 

A brother tells me of his first seeing Miller; it was at 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 93 

Gainesville, Ga., during a Holiness meeting; Dr. Wat- 
son was present and conducting the service. Every 
phenomenon was present that characterized the first Pen- 
tecost, except the noise of the descent of the Holy Ghost 
and the visible tongues of fire. No man can appreciate 
this Pentecost who is not in sympathy with the first. 
Miller, along with others, was caught by the glorious in- 
fluence. He shouted to the by standers, ^'Tie that stove 
to my feet, or I shall fly away to Heaven!" Of course, 
the strange brother, who, while himself in perfect har- 
mony w4th the whole scene, had never heard it after 
that sort before, and very naturally, the first thought 
was, "well, that's a wild man." But, he afterwards 
learned by close intimacy with him, he was anything but 
a Svild man,' except on the same sense that St. Paul said 
he himself was, "a fool for Christ's sake." 



94 Life of S. Miller Willis. 



CHAPTER XI. 

Miller Willis as a Bible Student. 

Miller Willis was preemineDtly a man of ^'one book.'^ 
IN'ot that he did not read other books, for he did. But 
for twenty-five years his reading all tended in one direc- 
tion — the knowledge of God as revealed in His Word, 
together with an all-consuming desire for wisdom to win 
souls to Christ. As he was unique in all else, so was he 
in his methods of studying the Scriptures; many refer- 
ences have been made in these pages by different writers 
or speakers, to his Bible. I knew him most intimately 
in this part of his Christianity. Besides reading the 
Scriptures consecutively through from Genesis to Revela- 
tion, he studied the Bible topically. To this end, he car- 
ried with him everywhere he went a copy of Cruden's 
Concordance. He would take, c. g., the word repentance, 
and collate every passage that had that word in it. Then 
he would take some other word — faith, perhaps, and go 
through the same exercise with it. So he went 
through the whole book, not once, but no doubt hun- 
dreds of times, giving the preference, of course, to those 
words that related most directly to salvation and a holy 
life. Is it any wonder that he was perfectly at home in 
the Scriptures, and that the most learned theologian 
found a match, aye, more than a match whenever he pre- 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 95 

sumed to controvert with Miller about the two great 
facts of the Bible — sin and salvation? Then again, it is 
no marvel that his quotations are so universally accurate, 
or that he always gave the book, chapter and verse. 
Above all, he believed the Bible; he did not try to ex- 
plain away its meaning to suit his views. He did not 
set up a standard of his owd, either in doctrine or expe- 
rience, and then go to work to bring its teachings down 
to correspond with this, but he sought to know the Bible 
standard, and then bring his experience and life up to 
that. 

MILLER Willis's bible and its remarkable mar- 
ginal NOTES. 

Miller Willis's Bible. 

How shall I describe it? I doubt if there is an- 
other like it. I do not mean, of course, the book in 
itself as the Bible, though even this is unique, but I mean 
the notes, the comments, the personal application of cer- 
tain passages, together with the general make-up of the 
book. It is interleaved with blank paper, on which 
very many things are written, all, however, relating to 
doctrine, experience or the Christian life. 

To get a correct idea of the contents of this book — I 
mean the things written in it by Miller Willis — one 
must see it and read it for oneself, but I may be able 
to give the reader of this some conception by a few 
quotations. 

We take what is first written on a blank leaf in Gen- 



96 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

esis vii and 1 ; Heb. vi: 7 : "Noah stands against the 
whole world for God. By faith, Noah being warned of 
God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear prepared 
an ark for the saving of his house. Noah believed God 
was going to destroy the world. The men around him 
laughed him to scorn. We may go out of the world 
and yet have it in us — it must die out of our hearts first. 

Holiness. — " Why (does) the regenerate need entire 
sanctification ? Because of the nature he has inherited. — 
Genesis vi: 5. Because of the work begun in regenera- 
tion. — 1 Cor. iii: 1-4. Because of his conscious need of 
it. — Ps. li: 5-8. Because God hath enjoined it. — 1 Peter 
i: 16. Because God hath provided for it. — Heb. xiii: 12. 
Because it is a possible grace for the present life. — Luke i: 
74-75. Because of its greater power for service. Con- 
trast the case of the Disciples before and after Pentecost. 
Because it is a way so much better. — Ps. xxxv: 8-10. 
Because the world needs such kinds of examples and 
testimonials, just as it needs witnesses and examples of 
converted men ; because it is essential to enter heaven. — 
Heb. xii: 14. Because a holy heart is the best.'' 

In answer to this question : " Is any thing too hard 
for the Lord?'' — Gen. xviii and 14 — he answers: "Yes; 
I am too hard for the Lord, if I don't repent, for he 
says "except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish." 

Genesis xxii: 18: "Do I obey the voice of my God? 
Help me to from this day, September 1, 1890." 

Genesis xx : 35 : " Judah means praise the Lord." 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 97 

power! genesis XXXII: 28. 

'' Thomas Harrison calling, and they coming from the 
galleries. Pleasant Grove camp-meeting — men fell like 
dead men. These that have turned the world upside 
down have come hither also. What a soul-winner the 
Apostle John was! What power Peter had when the 
Holy Ghost fell on all them who heard the word ! Under 
the preaching of Luther, how the world was swayed. 
Knox J with his burning words, set fire to Scotland, and 
made the Queen tremble. John Livingston preached a 
sermon, and they prayed all night, when five hundred 
were converted. 

^' We are weak in public because we are weak in the 
closet. We don^t pray in secret like we preach in pub- 
lic. 'Oh, mind how you loose your inward peace,' Gen. 
xlii and 21. Math, xxvii and 4: 'This tells you 
what others dare not whisper in your ear; consider the 
nature of your present actions, they are seed sown for 
eternity, and will grow when you are in the dust.' 

''Exodus iv and 12th: 'Well send me my God, if you 
will be with my mouth, for then I know I shall think 
and speak right.' Exodus viii and 10: 'And he said: 
To-morrow.' A young man at a camp-meeting was 
entreated by several to come to the altar and get saved. 
He said: 'No; not to-night, but to-morrow.' Next 
day the leader said : ' Where is the young man who said 
last night he would seek God to-morrow?' A young 
man came forward and said: 'He is at home dying — a 
raving madman.' Be sure, the last call will come soon. 



98 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

"Exodus ix and 28: ^See how God can send the 
mighty thundering to alarm the wicked.' Exodus xv 
and 26: ^I am so glad he did not say Moses was to heal 
me, for Moses is dead; but he said: I am the Lord that 
healeth thee.' Exodus xxxvi and 7: ^Is this the way I 
give to the Lord?' Deut. vi and 25: ^Nothing in the 
Bible but what is conditional. Ask and ye shall re- 
ceive.' But suppose I don't ask — shall I receive? No, 
no. But men say, 'I can't do anything.' ^If I do not 
believe I shall be damned.' ^What shall I do to be 
saved?' ^Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt 
be saved.' Kead twenty-seventh and eighth chapters of 
Deuteronomy, and see how God can curse a man, and 
then how He can bless. Joshua i and 8: ^This Bible is 
a book of doing, and not simply believing. The Acts 
of the Apostles is what they did, as well as what they 
believed.^ Joshua i and 14: ^Oh, my God, make me a 
mighty man of valor!' Joshua iii and 5: ^Thou shalt be 
perfect with the Lord.' If the Lord had said, ^Miller, 
you must be perfect with men,' 1 would say, ' Lord, your 
Son could not do that." 

"Joshua xiv, last clause of 8th verse: ^But I wholly 
followed the Lord.' Can I say amen to this? Lord, 
help me! Yes, praise the Lord! ^ Way cross, Ga., Nov. 
24th, 1890. Brother Waller: One hundred and fifty 
converted up to date, and fifty-odd sanctified.' Praise 
God for it. Ps. xxxiv: 1st verse. 

"Joshua xvii: 17-18: ^For thou shalt drive out the 
Cananites, though they have iron chariots, and though 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 99 

they be strong. What does our God care for iron char- 
iots or strong^ men? He can lock the wheels so thev can- 
not move, then send dismay to those who drive them.' 
Dukes, Ga., December 11th, 1890. 

'^Judges viii: 4. ^ Faint, yet pursuing.' ' Lord, help 
me to pursue until death V ' Do I believe Samson threw 
down the house on the Philistines? Yes, for my God 
says it in His word. Judges xvi: 28-30." I find this on 
a blank leaf in his Bible : " A brave Congo boy, about 
twelve years old, was rowing a boat for his mother. 
She saw something in the water and stooped over to see 
what it was, when a monster crockodile seized her and 
jerked her overboard, and swam away toward an island 
with her in his mouth. The boy followed as fast as he 
could. He found his mother lying on the bank, while 
the beast had gone off to look up its mate. He rescued 
her and brought her away in safety. Was this boy 
worth saving ? Well, there are hundreds of thousands 
like him." 

^' Why are my prayers not answered ?" Ps. Ixvi and 
18. '^ Can I say this?" Ps. Ixix: 9. ^^ For the zeal 
of Thine house hath eaten me up ; and the reproaches 
of them that reproached Thee are fallen upon me." 

'^They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mt. Zion, 
which cannot be removed, but abideth forever." Ps. 
cxxv : 1st verse. 

Here is his comment, taken in part from Bishop Simp- 
son's sermons: "Methodism has not grown by money 
from the public treasury. The Roman Catholic and Re- 



100 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

form Churches, the Church of England, the Church of 
Scotland, the Romanist, and Presbyterian of Ireland 
have all had public money; also, the Episcopal and Con- 
gregationalist were supported partly at public expense, 
but Methodism has stood alone. The Methodists have 
trusted in God for all they got, praise the Lord for it. 
They had to learn self-reliance. The Lord is round us 
while we sleep, and, like the mountains, when we wake 
He is still there. ^Why do my thoughts w^ander when 
I pray?' Prov. xxiii: 26. If you would keep your 
heart fixed on God, and realize to yourself by faith His 
holy and awful presence it would not be so. If the Presi- 
dent of the United States came to see you, would your 
mind and heart wander from His presence and words? 
would you be light and trifling? ^ All things are naked 
and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to 
do.' Heb. iv: 13. ^Can you say to the Lord, now Lord, 
I am sowing to the Spirit?' Mr. Finney says he never 
found one man in a thousand that knew what was meant 
by giving their heart to God! They know what it is to 
give their hearts to their wives — that it means to do 
everything to please them." 

"Son of man, can these bones live?' Ezekiel xxxvii: 
3. ^ The Prophet answered : O, Lord God, Thou 
knowest.' ' As much as to say with man it is impos- 
sible. So without God man cannot be saved. Is there 
any earthly remedy that can make these bones live ? 
The Prophet looked at the bones. They were very dry. 
What supernatural work has been done in your heart ? 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 101 

And you know it is of God. Nothing but repentance to- 
ward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ on your part, 
can bring about such a work. Any view that teaches 
that man is not ruined, that the whole heart is sick, the 
whole head faint, is false. If this is not so, why make 
superhuman efforts to save him ? An aggressive Gospel 
always says man is ruined. ' Knowing, therefore, the ter- 
ror of the Lord, we persuade men.' My God, help us ! 
If we did not believe in a supernatural power, who 
would go out into the field to preach ? But the mighty 
God who made the bones before they were dry, says go, 
and promises to ' Breathe on these dry bones.' " 

"THE TWO FIRES." MATH. Ill: 11-12 

" The Fire ot the Judgment, that consumes eternally, 
or the Fire of the Holy Ghost, that consumes sin and 
saves the soul, which will you choose? My God, 
help me !" 

" Blessed are the pure in heart." Math, v: 8. "The 
sisters, when they go to clean their houses, throw all the 
windowh open, and let the light in. Then they scrub 
and scrub as long as they can find a speck of dirt or a 
cobweb. Xow they are ready for company, and if they 
find anything afterwards, they scrub again." " When- 
ever a justified soul ceases to hunger and thirst after 
God, the light goes out, and they simply have a name to 
live, while they are dead. There are thousands all over 
the country in this condition. Why can't we feed the 
people ? Because they are not hungry. If you set me 



102 Life of S. Millee Willis. 

doAvn to a table loaded with all that is good to eat, and 
I have no appetite, I will not do it much harm/' See 
Math, v: 6. 

"Many will say to me in that day, etc.'' Math, viii: 
22. ^Many think themselves Christians who are not, 
for Christians are holy, these are unholy. Christians 
love God, these love the world. Christians are humble, 
these are proud.' Christians are gentle, these are pas- 
sionate; consequently they are no more Christians than 
they are archangels." John Wesley. 

"Who can tell a Methodist from a ball goer, or the- 
ater goer? A young girl dying, a member of a church; 
her friend, member of another branch, came to see her. 
She was shocked when she saw how near death she was, 
and knew how worldly she had been, and yet she did 
not realize her true spiritual condition. When her vis- 
iting friend tried to talk to her, she said: 'Oh, your 
people think these things are sinful, but my church does 
not.' She grew weaker and weaker. At length her 
friend was obliged to leave her, but the sick girl seemed 
to get brighter and brighter; so she said to her friend, 
4et me put on my shroud and see myself in the glass 
before you go.' But when she come to tlie sight of her- 
self, all at once she began to cry out, 'I can't die! I 
can't die!! Then I won't die!!!' She screamed at her 
preacher, 'Oh, thou deceiver of men!' and died. 

" Has the Lord any use for me ? Well, He needed 
an 'ass,' and sure He can make some use of a man, if 
he will only be passive in His hands, like the 'ass.'" 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 103 

Math, xxi: 1-11. ^Mesus was asked which is the great 
commaudmerit ? and answered: ^Thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.^ 
Math, xxii: 37-40. I am satisfied He knew which was 
the greatest. Mr. Wesley says this is holiness. This is 
perfect love. This is entire sanctification." 

"January 10th, 1891, Dukes, Ware county, Georgia. 
A father left his boy and said, ^now, be patient and do 
your work well.^ Rev. x: 11. 'Be thou faithful until 
death and I will give thee a crown of life.' The father 
said to his little boy, ' I will come soon.' When the little 
fellow would get up in the morning, a thrill of joy 
would go through his heart, because, he said, 'Papa may 
come to-day.' One day he did come. His boy threw 
down the broom and ran to meet him. The father 
opened his arms and embraced his child. 1st John, iv: 
17; 'Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have 
boldness in the day of Judgment.' Here is the secret of 
dying grace! 

"Xow, let us take the last written in the book: 'Will 
you be a Christian now?' ' Am I now a Christian ?' Math, 
xviii: 3; 'How do I know it?' 2d Cor., v: 17, also 
Rom. viii: 14-15-16; 'Am I backslidden?' Rom. viii: 
1, also 1st John, ii : 15; 'Am I ready to die?' Luke 
xii: 36; 2d King, xx: 1; Amos, ix: 12; 'Does Jesus 
save me from my sins now?' Math, i: 21; 'Shall I obey 
my Lord now?' Math, v: 48; 'Am I going to miss 
Heaven?' Heb. xii: 14. 

"'Am I sanctified throughout soul, body and spirit?' 



104 Life of S. Millee Willis. 

1st Thes. v: 23; ^4ra I a man of God like this?' 2d 
Tim. iii: 17; ^Have I obeyed this command of my 
Savior?' 1st Peter, xv: 16; ^ Shall I have boldness when 
the world is on fire?' 1st John, iv; 17; ^Am I cleansed 
like this?' 2d Cor. vii: 1; 'Does the truth sanctify me 
now?' John, xvii: 17; ^Have I obeyed this scripture?' 
2d Cor. vii: 1; 'When can I be saved from all sin?' 
Ans. ; 'Behold, now is the day of salvation,' 2d Cor. vi: 
2 ; ' For we know if this earthly house of our tabernacle 
were dissolved,' etc., 2d Cor. v: 1. 

"Search the Scriptures carefully for the above. 

"Reader, many will die deceived. Math, vii: 22-23. 

"Thirty thousand promises in the Bible, eighty -two 
for each day. Praise the Lord." 

I beg to close these extracts by presenting to the 
reader an epic poem, which I know is well worth its 
space. I find it in his Bible, and I have often known 
him to use it with powerful effect on a congregation. I 
do not know the original author of it, but E. P. Marvin 
is credited with it in its present revised form. 

THE THREE BIDDERS. 

An Incident in the lAfe of Bowland Hill. 

Just listen a moment, dear friend, 

And a story I'll unfold — 
A marvelous tale of a wonderful sale, 

Of a noble lady of old. 
How hand and heart in an auction mart 

Her soul and her body she sold. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 105 

'Twas in the king's highway so broad, 

A century ago, 
That a preacher stood of noble blood, 

Telling the poor and low 
Of a Savior's love, and a home above. 

And a peace that all might know. 

A crowded throng drew eagerly near, 

And they wept at the wondrous love 
That could wash away their vilest sins, 

And give them a home above ; 
When lo ! through the crowd a lady proud 

Her gilded chariot drove. 

" Make room ! make room ! " cried the haughty groom, 

"You obstruct the king's highway; 
My lady is late and their majesties wait. 

Give way there, good people, give way!'' 
But the preacher heard and his soul was stirred, 

And he cried to the rider, " NaJ^" 

His eye like the lightning flashes out; 

His voice like a trumpet rings; 
" Your grand f6te days, your fashions and ways. 

Are all but perishing things; 
'Tis the king's highway, but I hold it to-day 

In the name of the King of Kings." 

Then he cried, as he gazed on the lady fair. 

And marked her soft eye fall : 
"Now, here in His Name a Sale I proclaim. 

And bids for this fair ladj^ call; 
Who will purchase the whole, her body and soul 

Her coronet, jewels and all? 



106 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

Three bidders already I see — 

The World steps up as the first, 
' My treasures and pleasures, my honors I give, 

For which all my votaries thirst ; 
She'll be happy and gay through life's bright day, 

With a quiet grave at the worst.' 

Next out spoke the Devil and boldly bids, 
' The kingdoms of earth are all mine; 

Fair lady thy name with an envied fame, 
On their brightest tablets shall shine ; 

Only give me thy soul and I give thee the whole. 
Their glory and wealth to be thine.' 

And what wilt Thou give, O sinner's true friend; 

Thou Man of Sorrows unknown? 
He gently said, 'My blood I have shed, 

To purchase her for mine own.' 
To conquer the grave and her soul to save, 

I trod the winepress alone. 

1 will give her my cross of suffering here, 

My cup of sorrow to share; 
Then with glory and love in my home above. 

Forever to dw^ell with me there ; 
She shall walk in light in a robe of white, 

And a radiant crown shall wear.' 

Thou hast heard the terms, my lady fair. 

Offered by each for thee ; 
Which wilt thou choose and which wilt thou lose. 

This life, or the life to be? 
The figure is mine, but the choice is thine. 

Dear lady, which of the three? 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 107 

Nearer and nearer the preacher's stand, 

The gilded chariot stole ; 
And each head is bowed as over the crowd, 

The gospel accents roll ; 
And every word which the lady heard, 

Burned into her very soul. 

"Pardon, good people," she kindly said, 

As she rose frona her cushioned seat; 
As the crowd made way, you might almost say 

You could hear her pulses beat ; 
And each head was bare as the lady fair, 

Knelt low at the preacher's feet. 

She took from her hand the jewels rare. 

The coronet from her brow; 
"Lord Jesus," she said, as she bowed her head, 

"The highest bidder art Thou ; 
Thou hast died for my sake and I gratefully take 

Thy offer — and take it now. 

I know the pleasures and treasures of earth. 

At best they but weary and cloy. 
And the Tempter is bold, but his horrors of gold 

Prove ever a fatal decoy ; 
I long for Thy rest — Thy bid is the best ; 

Lord, I accept it with joy ! 

I turn from the pride and ambitions of earth, 

1 welcome Thy cross now so dear; 

My mission shall be to win souls for Thee, 

While life shall be spared to me here ; 
My hope ever found with Thee to be crowned. 

When Thou shalt in glory appear. 



108 Life of S. Millee Willis. 

'* Amen ! " said the preacher with reverent grace, 

And the people all wept aloud ; 
Years have rolled on and all have gone, 

Who around that altar bowed ; 
Lady and throng have been swept along. 

On the wind like a morning cloud. 

But soon, O how soon, the glory and gloom 

Of the world shall pass away; 
And the Lord shall come to His promised throne, 

With His saints in shining array ; 
May we all be there with the Lady fair. 

On that Coronation day ! 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 109 



CHAPTER XII. 



A Short Chapter Giving a Few Samples of 
Miller's Letters, Together avith Some Answers 
FROM Correspondents. 

The life of Miller Willis would be incomplete with- 
out a specimen of his letters. Striking in everything he 
did, perhaps it is conspicuous nowhere more than here. 
I never saw, heard or read of any one who wrote in the 
same style he did. Religious — scriptural — yes. His 
entire letters were ofttimes one continuous quotation from 
the Bible, giving always book, chapter and verse. 

He not only faced the enemy himself, but be was 
ever ready to stand by, uphold and encourage others to 
do the same. A few years ago when Dr. W. A. Can- 
dler had the conflict with the theatrical mistress and 
her admirers, in Nashville, Tenn., Miller heard of it, 
and while it greatly rejoiced his heart to know the young 
minister was standing for the purity of the church, he 
sat down and wrote him a letter, an extract of which is 
here given — only an extract, for the original is too 
highly prized by Dr. C. to be turned over, except to 
copy. Also see Dr. C.'s reply : 

"Warrenton, Ga., , 1887. 

"Dear Brother Candler : —Heard some were in for driv- 
ing you from your position about the Love of the World. Oh, 



110 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made you free. 
Oh!!! Live in the 13th of 1st Cor., and hold on to God. 
Then fear not, beloved. They told me your position and the 
opposition. I said he will be there when you hear from me 
again. God bless you and Sister Candler; tell her I never 
hear of her these days. She will have to live in earnest to get 
up to some of the women in the Bible, or in Augusta, either. 
Brother Candler, be all love like the blessed 13th, then fear 
not. Your less than the least but loving brother, 1st Thess., 5 
and 23. S. M. Willis. 

"Not that I am competent to advise you— but a word fitly 
spoken — 'like apples of gold in pictures of silver.' God bless 
you and yours." 

"Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 28, 1887. 
"My Dear Miller:— I judge you are at Cedartown. If 
not the brethren will know where you are. So I send this note 
there. I thank you for your brotherly words. The Spirit led 
you to write them. They did me good. God hears you when 
you pray— pray for me. I need wisdom and grace for His 
faithful service. You understand how I am situated. Ask our 
Father to help me. Wife joins me in love to you. 

"I am, yours affectionately, W. A. Candler." 

SEVERAL LETTERS TO CAPT. W. T. TERRY, OF ORIENT, 
NEW YORK. 

Capt. Terry was a seafaring man. He followed the 
sea before the war between the States. He owned and 
commanded a merchant ship that plied between New 
York and Charleston. I am indebted to him for several 
letters written to him at different times by Bro. Willis. 
Brother Terry is himself a very intense Methodist of the 
Wesleyan type. His vessel was named, ^^The Rev. John 
Fletcher." This name in itself would attract Miller 
Willis, for, next to John Wesley, he admired John 



Life of S. Miller Willis. Ill 

Fletcher as one of the Methodist fathers. But there were 
other remarkable facts connected with this sea captain 
and his ship. He had a ship's crew that neither drank 
whisky, used tobacco, drank coffee or tea, or used profane 
or vulgar language. In other words he was a Christian 
seaman, commanding a Christian ship, with a Christian 
crew. Capt. T. and Miller became acquainted in this 
wise: Capt. T., as was his custom when in port, was at- 
tending church, and when in Charleston he always at- 
tended Trinity M. E. Church, South, the church to 
which Miller belonged while he lived there. He heard 
Miller's hearty responses during the services, and men- 
tally said to himself, ^^ That brother has the right ring, 
I must see him as soon as worship is over." They met, 
a look into each other's eyes, and a word of self intro- 
duction, and they were friends, not only for life, but for 
all eternity. It was a clear case of **love on first sight." 
From then on, whenever they were in C. together they 
were almost inseparable. 

The following letter, without any date, I judge to be 
among the first he wrote Capt. Terry. It must have 
been in 1878, as that was the year, I think, of the great 
revival at Trinity, conducted by John S. Inskip. 

Dearly Beloved Brother Terry : 

Oh! Charleston, yes, Charleston ! the formal city, the church 
city, where men know more than their teachers. Who can 
teach a man wise in his own eyes? But, bless the Lord ! oh, 
my soul, will shout for a little. Men, that a few weeks ago, 
scoffed at us and spit upon Holiness, now they are leading a life 
hid with God. Oh, cry aloud to God to shake the South from 



112 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

center to circumference, Amen ; it will be done, glory ! glory ! ! 
Amen. Bro. Terry, this is the greatest meeting since the days 
of Mr. Wesley, in Charleston. Was not altogether friendly to 
the means at first; did not like the way it was presented; 
thought was too much compromise for men of God ; but, the 
best men of the church were the first to^seek it at the altar — 
Amen. Some seeking conversion, while others sought perfect 
love round the same altar. Up to date, so far as rough calcula- 
tion goes, about 300 or more have been converted ; about 75 or 
80, perhaps one hundred, sanctified. M^^ brother, for whom I 
have prayed fifteen years and six months, was converted. I 
promised the Lord never to rest until my wicked brother was 
converted and saved from all sin, until he was made perfect in 
love. Thought I would shout aloud if he ever went to an altar, 
as he was a leading spirit among the men of the world. 
Thought, "Oh, give it up," No, never! will die saying, " Will 
not let thee go except Thou bless me." But satan says, " asking 
too much! men like your brother, a leader among men. Oh! 
no, never !^^ But enough, Amen ! Beloved Bro. Terry, he did 
go up to an altar, and cried to God to have mercy on him, and 
he is still saying farewell to his old companions. Many bad 
men have met me saying, " Is your brother seeking religion?" 
"Yes, he is, praise the Lord for it, and so ought you." Oh, 
my Brother has been too proud to yield, having been an officer 
in the city, a leader among the wicked, a president of a fire 
company. Men said to me, "Will give him three weeks to 
come hack.^^ 

The balance of this letter did not come to me, but I 
will add, that the evil prophesies concerning his brother 
did not come to pass; he is still faithful to the vows he 
then took upon himself. If ever one brother idolized 
another, Miller idolized his brother Ed. Ed. being the 
oldest, and Miller the youngest, and his father dying 
while he was young, had much to do in bringing this 



Life of S. Millek Willis. 113 

about, I have no doubt. But he was ardent in his affec- 
tions, and grace made him more so. 

But to return to his letter to Capt. Terry. Capt. T. 
used to send him a great many religious magazines, pa- 
pers and tracts. The following seems to have been writ- 
ten in acknowledgment, with thanks, for a supply of 
these : 

"Charleston, S. C, 1879. 

"Read, Beloved, the 37th Psalm, and each time you read, ask 
the Lord to bless all the errands of love sent out for Him. 
Thanks ; yes, ten thousand thanks. The Sunday-school papers 
for all, little and older ones too. A stray shot from the Word 
lodged in some heart may be a star in your crown. Can't tell 
you all in a short letter. Came home from the ship that 
brought the papers, etc., after trying to talk to Capt. P., but he 
was in great hurry, did not even have time to hear what was a 
Christian! but, what of that; gave some papers to the young 
man aboard, perhaps the mate ; said he would read them. Oh, 
Beloved, we here in our day are not called to do like Peter — 
walk the water. What ! yes, walk the water. Well, Abraham 
was not far behind that, for his son, his only son, he was to do 
that horrible act (Oh, Lord, help now) take his life. Oh, we 
can't all be like George MuUer, trust for two thousandchildren 
to be fed and clothed. Now, Bro. Terry, let us take from the 
19th verse in 6th chapter of Matthew. How can we ever doubt 
that our Father will feed and clothe us after reading that. 
Thank the Lord ! for fifteen years I have wanted no good 
thing— no, nothing. Listen to this: 'When I sent you out 
without purse or scrip, lacked ye anything? They say, noth- 
ing.' Oh! shout, Bro. Terry; you have lacked nothing; I 
have lacked nothing. Amen. Luke, xxii: 35. Read it. Be- 
loved. 'Yours less than the least.' I. Thes., v: 23. 

"S. M. Willis. 

"P. S.— 'Rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks. 
"Whatsoever is not of love, forgive.' S. M. W." 



114 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

"Charleston, Jan. 17, 1880. 
^^ Dearly Beloved Brother Terry: 

"Oh for the blessed promises of the Bible— listen now: 
•They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.' 
The Bible, the blessed Bible! 'Be ye holy' just now^ for see 
'tis in the present tense. Oh, beloved, the Bible is full of it. 
Listen to Jesus, ' Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father 
in Heaven is perfect.' Amen! Amen II Amen!!! Reading in 
the last number of the Earnest Christian that letter from 
Brother R. Gilbert, I could have shouted Amen to each word. 
He is right. Let men preach perfection as clear as Mr. Wesley 
did. Tell the sisters not to wear gold and costly apparel, 
then look out for opposition from the worldly professors of 
religion. Tell them they must be perfect— they must be holy 
or miss Heaven — and you will surely get your share. But 
what of it— 'They that will live godly shall suffer persecu- 
tion.' How is dearly beloved Brother Terry? Does he stand 
a witness of perfect love or not? Good-bye, dearly beloved 
brother. Oh, be a witness for Jesus that perfect love casteth 
out fear. When the storm rages then sing, 'I'll trust the 
covert of His wings.' Isa. xxvi:3. Now read 2d Cor. xiii:6. 
"Yours in love, S. M. Willis." 

"Charleston, 8. C, 1881. 
^'- My Dearly Beloved Father and Brother Terry: 

"Long months since I have written my dear father and 
brother. When I first received your dear letter, wrote and 
naislaid a long letter; searched for it, then said, 'Perhaps the 
Lord allowed it to be lost,' so am writing this. Do you re- 
member your dear little schooner? — 'Rev. John Fletcher' — 
when we prayed on board of her here in Charleston, S. C? 
Brother S. B. Good ell, S. M. Willis, and, I forget, but believe no 
one else but you were there — Amen. Since then, believe we 
both are happier and more like Jesus. There is a disposition 
in Trinity M. E. Church, South, not to be definite on the great 
doctrine of Perfect Love, but the Lord has done wonders here 
on the line of temperance. 

"Go on, my beloved father; talk Perfect Love, sing Perfect 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 115 

Love. The loDger I live the more I think what a great man 
Mr. Wesley was. Writing long time ago he said: 'There is a 
general faintness come upon the whole land on this Bible doc- 
trine of Perfect Love.' Lord, wake up Methodists North, South, 
East and West on our Ufe, for perfect love is the life of Meth- 
odism. We ought to be counted by millions upon millions — 
I mean those who profess Perfect Love. No other person 
should be called a Methodist. Your son and brother, 

S. M. Willis. 
"P. S.— Whatever is not of love, forgive. 'Rejoice ever- 
more, and in everything give thanks.' S. M. W." 

"have faith in god."— Mark xi: 22-24. 

Manatee, Fla. 

"Praise God, my precious brother, Capt. Terry. Hallelujah 
to Jesus, we are both still alive. Your letter reached me after 
a time — had to go to Charleston, then to Spartanburg, S. C, 
and then all the way down here nearly into the Gulf of Mex- 
ico. Get your map and see where Manatee, Fla. is, and that 
is where your least brother is. I was about to die with hem- 
orrhage, when some of the brethren gave me the money and 
told me to come down here. Well, this is not the place, as it 
is too damp. My precious brother, can you say my heart is 
just right with God? and you have the witness? Acts vii :21. 

" Well, praise the Lord, there have been one thousand conver- 
sions, Mathew xviii: 3, and sanctifications, 1st Thes. v: 23. 
It is not the old time, red hot, Holy Ghost conversions, where 
they jump up as on springs and go after friends, with the glow 
and the burning zeal that lasts for weeks ; but its the best we 
have, and we are going to say amen. 

"When asked: 'Do you know you are converted?' 'Yes.' 
'Have you got the happy in your heart?' 'Yes.' 'Are you 
going to tell your friends about it?' 'Yes.' But they used 
to tell all this themselves. Three hundred in Dal ton, Ga., 
three hundred in Way cross, Ga., and the rest in Douglassville, 
Augusta and Atlanta, Georgia. Praise God ! Let us be filled 
with joy, though the world take fire, Nehemiah vii: 10; 1st 



116 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

Thes. V : 16. Brother Terry, do you rejoice evermore and pray 
without ceasing? God bless you, and may your last days be 
your brightest. The sixth chapter of Nehemiah tells just the 
way men talk to-day against the work of our God. Had one 
hemorrhage in Way cross, Ga., and another the night after it. 
I was then so weak I could not walk fifty feet, but, amen to 
God, Mathew vi: 10, I am still alive, and expect this summer, 
God willing, to see some tall sons fall under the power of the 
Gospel. How about your ship. Rev. John Fletcher? What of 
her crew, who neither swore, used tobacco, drank whiskey, 
beer or coffee? The air here is laden with the perfume of 
orange blossoms, and there are plenty of oranges, too. 

"My post office is Augusta, Ga., care of Brother Josiah Mil- 
ler, 432 Green street. I am hardly ever there — nearly always 
off" at meetings somewhere. But now am nearly done for. 
Brother Terry, you ought to know where the money comes 
from, Luke xxii : 35, lacked nothing. Praise God for one hun- 
dred and third Psalm and first verse. Write and tell me all 
about yourself. Good-by, my precious Brother Terry. 

"Your less than the least brother, 1st Thes. v: 23, 

"S. Miller Willis. 

"March 5th, 1891." 

Below ^Ye give, as we suppose, the last letter he ever 
wrote ; indeed, he did not write it ; he only dictated it, 
for it is not his handwriting — it is the writing of a lady, 
one of his nieces no doubt : 

"Spartanburg, S. C, June 9th, 1891. 
"Mark, xi: 22-24. 

"My Precious Brother Terry:— You see I am in the 
upper part of South Carolina, and though I am so weak I can 
hardly stand on my feet, my soul is all on fire for God and the 
salvation of lost men. That tract you want, you can obtain 
of Brother M. D. Smith, Lavonia, Ga. 

"Arn't you glad it's written, 'Call unto me and I will an- 
swer thee, and will show thee great and mighty things which 
thou knowest not ' ? Jer. xxxiii: 3. Shout! Shout! Shout!!! 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 117 

my dear brother, ' For eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither 
have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath 
prepared for them that love him,' 1st Cor. ii: 9. I mislaid 
your letter ; you asked some questions I intended to answer. 
But keep full of love and faith and you need fear nothing. Oh, 
hallelujah ! full of faith like Heb. xi. Good-by, Gen. xxxi : 
49: 'And Mizpah, for he said: The Lord watch between me 
and thee, when we are absent one from another.' 'Finally, 
farewell; be perfect," 2d Cor. xiii: 11. 
"Your less than the least but loving brother, 

"S. Miller Willis." 

The following tribute was sent to me by Major Willis, 
simply headed Miller Willis, and with the initials E. W. : 

MILLER AVILLIS. 

Every good life leaves in this world a twofold minis- 
try — that of the things it does directly to bless others, and 
that of the silent influence it exerts, through which 
others are made better or inspired to do like good things. 
Influence is something, too, which even death does not end. 
When earthly life closes a good raan^s work ceases. He 
is missed in the places where his familiar presence has 
brought benedictions. No more are his words heard by 
those who ofttimes have been cheered or comforted by 
them. Xo more do his benefactions find their way to 
homes of need where so many times they have brought 
relief. Xo more does his gentle friendship minister 
strength or hope or courage to hearts that have learned 
to love him. The death of a good man in the midst ot 
his usefulness cuts off a blessed ministry of helpfulness 
in the circle in which he has dwelt. But his influence 



118 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

oontinues. The influence which our dead have over us 
is ofttimes very great. We think we have lost them 
when we see their faces no more, nor hear their voices, 
nor receive the accustomed kindnesses at their hands. 
But in many cases there is no doubt that what our loved 
ones do for us after they are gone is quite as important 
as what they could have done for us had they staid with 
us. The memory of beautiful lives is a benediction, 
softened and made more rich and impressive by the sor- 
row which their departure caused. The influence of 
such sacred memories is in a certain sense more tender 
than that of life itself. Death transfigures our loved one, 
as it were, sweeping away the faults and blemishes of 
the mortal life and leaving us an abiding vision in which 
all that was beautiful and pure and gentle and true in 
him remains to us. We often lose friends in the com- 
petitions and strifes of earthly life, whom we would have 
kept forever had death taken them away in the earlier 
days when love was strong. It is true, '^ He lives to us 
who dies ; he is but lost who lives. ^^ Thus even death 
does not quench the influence of a good life. It 
continues to bless others long after the life has passed 
from earth. E. W. 

He also says : He printed many thousand tracts — had 
a press of his own. One read : "Where do you expect 
to spend Eternity?'' 

Another: "Can \ou answer me this question: If you 
were to die this day, would you go to Heaven?" 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 119 

To those who remember the fearful earthquake in 
Charleston in 1885, the following letter and reply will 
explain itself: 

[copy.] 

•'September 2, 1885. 
*' My Precious Brother : —We just learned from the morn- 
ing papers you have had a violent and destructive earthquake. 
I have an abiding faith that neither you, nor yours, nor any- 
thing belonging to you has suffered any serious damage; 37 
Psalm. Love to all the darling children and Sister Lizzie. 

"Your affiectionate brother, S. M. W. 

"To Major E. Willis, Charleston, S. C." 

MAJOR WILLIS TO THE EDITOR. 

**My family were away except my eldest son, who slept 
through it all. My house was only slightly damaged, while 
the one above me was a wreck and the one below me very 
much injured. Yours, 

September 21, 189L" E. Willis. 



120 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



Miller Willis' Scrap Book. 

I have said in another place that he was a man of 
" One Book/' and explained what was meant by that. 
I propose to give in this chapter a sample of his reading 
outside of the Bible. If the writers of any of these 
quotations should find them here, and be disposed to 
complain because their names do not appear, let me say, 
I copy them as they appear in Miller Willis' scrap book, 
sometimes with the author's name and sometimes with- 
out ; and as I shall not insert any piece as original, I 
shall not giv^e any name, but all that is in this chapter, 
it will be understood, are such things as he culled from 
books, papers and magazines. !Nor do I use one-tenth 
of what he left in this form. If I were to include every- 
thing, it would make a much larger volume than this 
life of him. I have discovered a few short pieces of 
his own writing, including a short letter to the Way of 
Life, which I place at the end of this chapter. — Ed. 
SOULS 



o 


HOW 





u 


TO WIN 


u 


L 


THEM. 


L 



SOULS 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 121 

Solomon says, " He that winneth souls is wise ;'' and 
Daniel, " 1 hey that be wise shall shine as the brightness of 
the firmament ; and they that turn many to righteousness 
as the stars, for ever and ever ;'' and James says, ^^ Let 
him know that he who converteth the sinner from the 
error of his way, shall save a soul from death and shall 
hide a multitude of sins.'' However we may look at 
this subject, it is of immense importance. Next to the 
salvation of our own souls, nothing should be of such 
importance as the salvation of our fellow men and 
women. Every soul touches at many points the interests 
of others. Each has relatives, friends or acquaintances, 
for whose spiritual welfare we are responsible before God. 
It is not by neglecting the duty, or forgetting it, that 
we can get quit of the responsibility; this can only be 
done by discharging it. When Jonah ran away from 
the presence of the Lord, he thought to get away from 
the responsibility of warning the Ninevites ; but after all 
the dangers of his journey, no sooner was he upon dry 
land than the word of the Lord came again to him to go 
and cry against Nineveh the cry that He Avould put into 
his mouth. 

Comrades, this responsibility rests upon us — the re- 
sponsibiliuy of the salvation or the damnation of souls. 
How important then that we should have the wisdom of 
winning souls. 

It is not my purpose here to dwell upon the Holy 
Spirit's agency in this solemn business ; this has often 
been done in these columns. I wish to dwell upon the 



122 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

SOUL TO BE AVON rather than upon the Divine agency 
which saves the soul. 

The soul is not a faculty or an attribute ; it is not 
thought, volition, memory or judgment; it is that which 
thinks, which wills, which remembers and which reasons. 
It is that which makes our individual personality. It is 
the ego — the I myself of my being ; it is the imperishable, 
the indestructible something by which we live, and move, 
and have our being. It is that which is accountable, and 
which will have to give account to God. The soul is 
from God, and returns to Him, and may I not say that 
it is of Him — a partaker of the Divine nature. Its con- 
nection with the body is only an imprisonment ; for its 
aspirations and desires are ever beyond that which can be 
whilst in the body. Its thirst for knowledge, power, 
fame and happiness is always beyond that which can be 
acquired in i\\Q body. Its susceptibility of enjoyment 
is beyond the body's power of endurance, and a 
" wounded spirit who can bear." 

This wonderful personality in every man and woman 
w^e find sin-smitten, perverted and condemned to death. 
Its thoughts about God, holiness and eternal life are 
thoughts of indifference or of contempt. Its will is at 
enmity with God for no justifiable reason ; it owns to be 
at a continued hatred to God's law. Its memory is 
the store-house of its rebellious weapons against truth 
and righteousness. Its judgment is in antagonism to 
God and His Christ. And yet this soul has been loved 
with an everlasting love. Christ died to redeem it 



i 



Life of S. Miller AVillis. 123 

FROM SIX, death and hell, and you, my comrades, are 
called upon to win it. You are called upon to win it from 
the power of the devil; win it from its own inherent sui- 
cidal proclivities. Wild and mad it hurries on to destruc- 
tion, like an unbroken and maddened horse. Stop it; save 
it ; win it ! Win it from itself and the power of the 
devil to Christ and its God. 

0/?, what a work is this / Well may we say, " Who is 
sufficient for these things f^ As the work is looked at from 
our side it appears impossible, hut '' With God all things 
are possible,''^ 

" He that winneth souls is wise.'' Does not this 
phrase seem to indicate the way the work has to be done? 
Let us not forget that we have to do with a soul which 
thinks, and thought is as free as a bird. AYe have to do 
with a icill, and this will is like a wild, restive horse, 
which has not been broken. We have to do with a 
memory, and herein we have little to help us; and we 
have to do with a judgment, and this believes that we 
have chaif and worse than chaff for it; it believes that 
we have only what will make it miserable. Win it ! 

Can it be done by the rough plan of coercion ? Can 
you make the will submit itself to your direction, or to 
the authority of a creed, and then flatter it with an easy 
future of indulgences? Can it be done by the thunders 

of ^'You SHALL do this, or ?'' by the threats of 

punishment either of this life or the life to come ? 

The plan is indicated by this word, loinneth. This was 
Chrisfs plan. By the power of love and truth we are to 



124 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

win the will and convince the judgment and save the soul 
from DEATH. If we win a soul for Christ, we must do 
it in Chrisfs way. The main citadel of the soul is the will; 
carry it, and ice can then lead the soul captive to the feet 
of Jesus. All our wisdom and our plans must be made 
to bear upon this point. Get it in any way that opens — 
through the reason, the affections, the senses, the passions or 
the memory. Convince the reason of the enormity of sin, 
of its wickedness, of the justness of God's plan in punish- 
ing transgression. Appeal to the affections; show them 
the love of God in Christ; show them that " God was in 
Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing 
their trespasses unto them. 2d Corinthians v: 18. 
Bring the power of the death of Christ upon their 
hearts. Appeal to their fears. The terrors of hell are 
an awful reality. Paul said : " Knowing the terror of 
the Lord, w^e persuade men.'^ With your soul filled 
with a Divine pity, knowing the eternal danger of the 
unconverted, warn, reprove and rebuke, AND give 
neither yourself or your hearers rest until they are safe. 
Make no apology either by softened tone or remark. 
If the glories of heaven are real, so are the terrors of 
hell. Salvation is a reality, but damnation is none the 
less so. Beseech them to be reconciled to God. Gratify 
the senses. Give them plenty of good music; let them 
see and hear that you are happy in God, and urge them 
to "taste and see that the Lord is good.'^ Deal with the 
memory. Find out who of them have had pious pa- 
rents ; remind them of home, and of the happiness 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 125 

which they had before they left for a life of sin. Use 
stirring literature. Put the War Cry into the hands of 
thoae you can7iot othenvise approach. Do not forget that 
you can accomplish nothing until you win the will. 
Mine and counter-mine. With all the ^^ wisdom of the 
serpenV^ approach this stronghold, with complete dependence 
on the Holy Spirit. Never rest until you win the will, 
then you will soon "save a soul from HELL and cover a 
multitude of sins.'^ 



Holiness — Sworn Over to God. — Paul says : " I 
know in whom" — not in what, but in whom, a person 
— "in whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He 
is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him 
until that day." Paul was a committed man from the 
moment of his conversion right on to his martyrdom. 
He was committed to God just as a young woman when 
she marries commits herself to her husband, and be- 
comes amalgamated with his interests; and if she is a 
good and true wife, and has a good and true husband, 
she becomes one in spirit with him ; she has no separate 
interest henceforth forever. In their children, money, 
business prospects, purposes, living and dying, they be- 
come one. It would be preposterous for any one to 
come to her and talk about setting up a separate interest 
from that of her husband. She would say, '^ You must 
be a lunatic, or think that I'm one. No, no; I am 
committed to live and die with him while he is a good 



126 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

and true man.^^ Exactly in the same real and practical 
sense the true saint is committed to Jesus Christ. 

NOW THAT IS FAITH, AND THERE IS NO OTHER FAITH 
THAT SAVES. 

All other faith will delude and damn if you trust to it. 
There is no other, and we will, by God's help, sweep 
every other idea of faith from the earth. We will show 
the people what Jesus Christ meant when he said, "He 
that believeth in Me shall never perish. '' No, such peo- 
ple will never perish. How can they when they are com- 
mitted to God? He will sooner let the archangels perish 
than He will let them perish. But the people who have a 
shilly-shally faith, who believe and work themselves into 
a bit of feeling, and sometimes think they believe, and 
sometimes think they do not — these are not the people 
who have the faith that saves. They have a faith of the 
imagination, a faith of the feelings; but they have never 
BEEN COMMITTED TO GoD. See them committed to Him 
to the extent of a $50 note! See if they are committed 
to Him to the extent of one of their children! The 
way to find out whether people are committed to God or 
not, is to see what they will give for Him, what they 
will do for Him, and how they will hold and use what 
He has given them for His sake and for His service. 

You go to seek a situation, and you say to the master, 
"Well, now I am ready to serve you for such and such a 
salary." You make a bargain with that man, and he 
supposes, of course, that you commit yourself for the 



Life of S. Miller Willis. » ] 27 

time being to his interest. He never supposes that you 
are going into his establishment, or into his family, to 
seek your own interest. He supposes that you are to 
be committed to him and his interests for the time being, 
and if you are not prepared to be so you are a dishonest 
man or woman, and you have no business to take his 
wages. 

The real saint commits himself to God's interest for 
both worlds, for time and for eternity — forever; so that 
when God asks for your money, you say, ''Here it is, 
Lord.'' When He asks for your children, you say, 
''Here they are. Lord." What a hypocrite I should 
have been, having professed these twenty-four years to 
be consecrated to the Lord, if I had withheld my chil- 
dren from Him when He wanted them. Is not any 
man or woman acting thus equally so, and yet I know 
plenty of parents in England who are loud-professing 
saints, or, at all events, take a high position in the 
Christian world, who know as well as I do that God 
wants their children for this war, and yet I believe they 
would sooner see them in their coffins than they would 
give them to it. I say God writes them down hypo- 
crites. Mind, it is not I that say it — they kxow that 
God wants their children to help us roll this Salvation 
war around the world, and they won't give them up. 
Tell me such people believe savingly in God! I would 
as soon believe it of the devil. Oh, no, no! we will 
sweep this sort of faith off the earth, by the grace and 
help of God. We will have a practical faith, or none 



128 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

at all, and I challenge any divine, interpreting the 
Scriptures in harraony with themselves, to show me any 
other faith spoken of or illustrated in the New Testa- 
ment, or in the experience of the Apostles, or the early 
Christians. No other kind of faith is worth two cents. 
If you have not got that faith — get it at once. 

YOU CAN HAVE IT. 

We are not going to talk about consecration — we 
hope most of you are consecrated, and yet that involves 
faith. I was thinking about Elisha when he parted 
with Elijah, and when Elijah's mantle had fallen upon 
him — then came the test for Elisha's faith. What is he 
going to do with Elijah's mantle? How is he going to 
show his faith ? What would have been the use of the 
mantle unless he were willing to receive Elijah's voca- 
tion — unless he were prepared to endure the hardships, 
the self-denials, the sacrifices, the dangers and persecu- 
tions which awaited him as a brave prophet of the Most 
High? But you know that when Elisha took Elijah's 
mantle he took Elijah's spirit and Elijah's calling; he 
was going straight back again to Jordan to show that he 
had taken it, and when he got to the banks of the river 
he did not trust to his mantle or in any supposed conse- 
cration, but he showed the reality of his faith in the 
living God by saying, ^' Where is the Lord God of 
Elijah?" He acted out his faith; he dared to do the 
works of Elijah; then the strength of God was given 
to him, and you know he divided the waters and went 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 129 

over. Now that is the test of faith — accepting the work 
of faith, obeying the call of God; accepting the conse- 
quences, the suffering, the cross — even if it should mean 
death. That is faith. Those 'worthies in the 11th of 
Hehrev)S all showed their faith, not by their jprofessions — 
though they did profess it — but they proved its genuineness 
by what they did and ichat they sufered. " They wrought 
righteousness, subdued kingdoms, stopped the mouths of 
lions; they ivere sawn asunder, they were afflicted, perse- 
cuted, tormented — of lohom the world was not worthy. ^^ 

Now, when we have a faith like that^ the world will 
believe us. When we show the world our faith by our 
cross-bearing, our trial, our suffering, of whatever kind 
God calls us to endure, whether behind the scenes or 
before the scenes; in our hearts, or bodies, or circum- 
stances; with our children, or with our money, or with 
our labor, or with our reputation, or in whatever partic- 
ular department we are called upon to suffer — when we 
show this to the world, the world will believe us. Now, 
my friends, my comrades, will you seek this faith this 
morning? I said to a lady a little while ago, who came 
to me lamenting her condition, and telling what she 
wanted the Lord to do — "Suppose the Lord Jesus were 
here in His flesh, and you were telling Him what you 
are telling to me; supposing He were to turn round and 
say to you — ^Oh yes, I am quite willing that you should 
follow me, and to give you all that you ask of me, but 
remember that the Son of Man hath not where to lay 
his head. Are you willing to follow me in poverty, in 



130 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

trial, and in suffering, if the interests of my work re- 
quire it?' What would you say to him? Would you 
say, ^Yes, Lord!' Have you the consciousness within 
you that your heart would answer, ^Yes, Lord!' ^o\y, 
that is committal. He does not tell you where He will 
lead you, or what He will want of you. He does not 
tell you what will be the end of it ; but He tells you one 
thing — that if you will be committed to Him, He will 
look after you, and take care of you, and He will land 
you at last safe in glory. 

Will you be committed, my brother, my sister? Will 
you come and be married really and truly to the Lord 
Jesus this morning? Not a sham marriage, not just a 
ceremony. What would you think of a woman coming 
to the altar as a mere sham, as a mere ceremony, and 
then going back to live with her mother just as she did 
before? You would say ridiculous! and yet there are 
plenty of professing disciples who come and do it with 
Him, and go back and live as they did before. Come 
and be really married this morning, really committed to 
the interests of Jesus Christ, and be prepared to take 
upon you all the consequences of such a mission — this 
is faith. 



Hope-So Believers. — There are two classes of peo- 
ple in the church, and if you go to them and ask if they 
are saved, they say, '^ I hope so.'' I can't find anything in 
the Bible on that line, that tells a man just to hope he 
is saved. I don't want any of those conversions. The 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 131 

other day I read about an evangelist who said in his 
meetings, "Everybody that wants to be good put your 
name down on this card," and then he called them saved. 
I believe in a man going down on his marrow bones and 
just crying for mercy. If we have but half a dozen peo- 
ple converted we are going to have it so they know it. 
I am sick of this slip-shod way of converting; we don't 
want any more of it, but what we want to get is men 
that know they are saved. If your religion don't keep 
you from thinking swear in your heart, it is no religion 
at all. "Are you saved?" I hope so. Hope so? What 
do you hope? Have you passed from death into life? 
Have all things been made new? Has such a change 
taken place in you that you don't want to swear any 
more? If religion don't take that all out of you it is 
not religion at all. What we want are genuine Holy 
Ghost conversions. When I go up to the Pearly Gates 
of Heaven I want to see them standing around the 
throne of God. I don't want any hope so. God deliver 
us from that kind. I want religion that is going to 
change you from the crown of your head to the sole of 
your feet. I w^ant to get it so that everybody will know 
it; even the cat and the dog about the house. I wouldn't 
give a cent for a man that calls himself a Christian and 
beats his horse to death just because he balks; a pretty 
Christian he is; or a lady that abuses her servant girl, 
and never asks her in to prayers just because she is a 
serv^ant; a pretty Christian she is, isn't she? "Are you 
.saved?" "You hope so?" If you don't show by your 



132 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

actions that you love your wife, you are a mean man; 
there is no hope so about it. There is nothing a wife 
loves so well as for her husband to slip up behind her 
and say ^' Sally, I love you.^' Therefore, my brother 
and sister, hoping so won^t do you any good. I hope 
you are all rich, but you are not. If I could make the 
people rich by hoping so, I would do it, but that don't 
bring it. Now, I hope there will be ten thousand peo- 
ple converted in this town, but my hoping so won't con- 
vert them. The Bible says, ^^We know,'' and if you 
don't know you have never been converted, God bless 
you. It is no farther from the church to hell than it 
is from the world; the distance is just the same. "Are 
you saved?" You talk about being saved, and then go 
to the theatre. A man or woman that will go to the 
theatre, or dance or play cards in the Methodist church 
is a hypocrite. You promised when you came into this 
church that you would not do these things, and just as 
sure as you do these, you are a hypocrite. They did not 
dance or play cards in my church. I promised the con- 
ference I would live up to the rules of the Methodist 
church, and if a preacher don't do it he is just as bad as 
the rest of them. I have been in lots of places where 
they say: "Mr. Weber, if I was to be converted I could 
not dance, and I must dance." I tell you there was 
never a boy this side of Heaven that enjoyed dancing as 
much as I did. Holy people don't dance or let their 
daughters dance or play cards; they don't do it. Sanc- 
tified people don't think about those things. "Are you 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 133 

saved?'' ^^You hope so." ^^The Bible says '' We know 
so." What do you do with the Bible? Do you say, Mr. 
Weber, I don't understand it so. The Epistle of John 
has the verb ^^To know" forty-two times in five chap- 
ters. Why, the Bible is full of '^To know." I want to 
say to you if you don't know what you are converted 
from, you never were converted. I don't want a man 
converted to me ; I want you to be converted to God, so 
that when I leave this place they wall find you at the 
class meeting; they can call on you at any moment; that 
is the kind of conversions we want here. We do not 
want any more of this slip-shod work here. ^' Are you 
saved f'^ " You hope so." That donH do. See Petei' and 
John and James and Thaddeus and the rest of them rejoic- 
ing j and Jesus said: '' What are you rejoicing forf'' 
Because we saw the devil fall as lightning from Heaven. 
Do not rejoice about that, but ^'Rejoice that your names 
are written in Heaven /^^ 

Know^-So Religion. — Paul says ^'We know we have 
passed from death unto life." What do you know? We 
know we have passed from death to life. There are 
some of you church members who would be strange 
ornaments in Heaven. Say, my brothers and sisters, 
do you know that after the spirit of God takes hold of 
you it will save you. I have had men that would to- 
night crush me under their feet, yet I could get right 
down and lick up the spit from under their feet, because 
I love them. Hereby we do know that we know Him. 
Why? Because we keep His commandments. It is a 



134 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

thousand times more easy for you to sin than for you to 
do right; unless you are in the way of doing right it i& 
hard to do right. You become a new creature in Christ 
Jesus, and some how or other you love to talk about 
Jesus. "Are you saved ?^^ If you are not saved, my 
brothers and sisters, and you don't know that you are 
saved, you have not passed from death unto life. God 
says unless a man be born again he cannot enter the 
kingdom of Heaven. Nicodemus was a better man than 
you are; why, he stood in the highest official position; 
he lived before the world as a Christian, but what did 
Jesus say to him? You must be born again. Ye must 
be born from above; born twice and die once and go to 
Heaven or to be born once and die twice and go to helL 
"Are you saved?'' You are a member of the church, but 
that don't save you. Once I had a good deal of money, 
but I havn't it now. Once you had good health, but 
you have not got it now. Once you might have been a 
Christian, but you are not now; remember, that to be a 
Christian is to be Christ-like. Before you come to 
kneel at this altar and say put me down as converted, 
you have got to tell this congregation that you are saved. 
"Are you saved?" Yes; how do you know? Here is a 
little boy who has fallen in the water; 1 went down and 
pulled him out. Another man comes along and says: 
"Say, my boy, are you saved?" "I hope so." I tell 
you, the little fellow would not be that big a fool, and 
don't you be a big enough fool to say that. If you don't 
know that you are saved, don't say so till you do know% 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 135 

but say, ^^Oh, Father, convert my soul! Oh, God, take 
sin out of my heart and help me to be Christ-like ! '^ 
And as sure as there is a God in Heaven He will. 



How Much Do You Pray. — Prayer is the medium 
by which we get near to God. We find that men who 
accomplished much for God were men of much prayer. 

^' Enoch walked with God;" that is, he prayed con- 
tinually. Jacob, when he was anxious to get the bless- 
ing, prayed all night. 

After David had numbered Israel and sinne:!, when 
the destroying angel appeared to smite Jerusalem, he 
and the elders fell on their faces, and with sackcloth and 
deep humiliation persuaded God to stop the angel from 
destroying the city; thus prevailing in prayer. 

Daniel spent twenty-one days in constant prayer to 
get an answer. Many of us would have given up, and 
got discouraged. Sometimes we must continue long in 
prayer, if answers are to come. 

Jesus spent all night in prayer, not that He needed 
faith, for all faith and love was full in Him, but to set an 
example for us. 

The Disciples spent, according to Arthur^s "Tongue 
of Fire," ten days and nights in prayer to God before the 
baptism of fire came. See the results! All through the 
revival book (the Acts) we see the Disciples prayed 
much and long. 

The early fathers of the church were men who prayed 
much. 



136 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

Now and then, during the dark ages, history records 
monks who moved things, and lived holy, and accom- 
plished much for God, but who spent hours in prayer 
daily. 

Luther said: ^^If I fail to spend two hours in prayer 
each morning, the devil gets the victory during the day.'^ 

Knox said : '^ Give me Scotland, or I die.^' See the 
Scottish Church as the result. 'Tis said, ^^Mary, Queen 
of Scots, feared his prayers more than any army!'' 

Our beloved Wesley was a mighty man of prayer, and 
always spent an hour or two each day for wisdom and 
power to lead men and women to God. 

Whitfield lived in the atmosphere of prayer. See how 
the thousands were converted under his ministry! 

Fletcher killed himself fasting and praying. Not 
many of us will die that w^ay ! 

Bramwell would not be in a town a fortnight before the 
whole town ivould be aroused religiously, and hundreds 
would be saved. 

Billy Bray smote the hosts of sin in his peculiar way, 
because he was a man who lived and walked with God. 
Oh, what a man of prayer he was! 

Finney, the prince of evangelists, prayed much, and car- 
ried a man with him who would pray while he was preach- 
ing. When we get to glory we^ll see the tens of thousands 
he led to God. 

Edwards and his faithful band prayed all night, and 
the next day the convictiug Spirit of God so manifested 
himself, that the elders threw their arms around the pil- 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 137 

lars of the church, and cried: ^^Lord, save me, I'm 
slipping down to hell!'' 

Payson wore the hard wood boards into grooves where 
his knees had pressed so often and long. Read his life, 
and see what were the scenes around the altars of his 
church. 

Take every man or woman who has been a great bless- 
ing in the hands of God, and turned many to righteous- 
ness, and you will find they were those who spent hours 
in prayer. 

Brother and Sister, how much do you pray? Is it 
your chief delight? Are you the happiest when you are 
face to face with God? Do you at all times flee to God 
in prayer when temptation, trial, or disappointment 
comes? 

Minister J chosen of God, do you pray an hour or tvjo 
each day for the baptism of the Holy Ghost to come on you 
and the people f Are you living so God can use you to win 
others for Jesus f Is your chiej aim to please the people, 
or God ! Are you sure you are icholly His, perfectly con- 
secrated to His work, and the greatest desire of your heart 
to see souls saved, and Christians sanctified f If you can 
answer in the affirmative, you can depend on it that you 
will see the desires of your heart. Father, in Jesus^ name, 
give us pure hearts, and make us like Jesus. Amen ! 



Advantages of Prayer. — Prayer can obtain every- 
thing. It can open the windows of Heaven, and shut 
the gates of hell. It can put a holy constraint upon 



138 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

God^ and detain an angel till he leave a blessing. It 
can open the treasures of rain, and soften the iron ribs 
of rocks till they melt into tears and a flowing river. 
Prayer can unclasp the girdle of the North, saying to a 
mountain of ice, be thou removed hence and cast into the 
bottom of the sea. It can arrest the sun in the midst of 
his course, and send the swift-winged wind upon our 
errand, and all those strange things, and secret decrees 
and iinrevealed transactions, which are above the clouds 
and far beyond the regions of the stars, shall combine in 
ministry and advantages for the praying man. 



Counsels to the Saints. — 1 . From a valued corres- 
pondent, an evangelist of experience, observation, pru- 
dence and wisdom, who travels far and wide, we have 
the following: 

^'Enclosed you will find a letter containing a question 
which is often asked of me by different persons. 

" In this case I replied : 

" Make sure of your oimi experience first. 

" Then keep siveet. 

" Be true to the church. 

^' Never go back on your testimony; but let it be given in 
the spirit of Christ. 

Be careful to avoid even the appearance of an attempt 
to antagonize your pastor. 

'^ Yet, at the same time, be careful to avoid compro- 
mise, etc. 

^^ I thought, perhaps, the Lord would give you some- 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 139 

thing good to give such inquirers through the Standard. 
These are not easy questions for one like myself to an- 
swer and they come often. 

" Is it not hard to conceive of such a Methodist 
preacher? Yet in our state there are many such.^' 

2. We append the question above referred to, and a 
few sentences from the letter containing it. 

'^ Permit a stranger to inquire of you what a member 
of our church is to do who wishes to enjoy the blessing 
of holiness where the preacher neither teaches or be- 
lieves in it? 

" I am taking the Christian Standard, which teaches 
this doctrine. One year ago last summer I attended 
camp-meeting at Decatur. I had the pleasure of hear- 
ing Brothers Smith and Pepper. Since that time my 
mind has been occupied more or less with this subject. ^^ 

3. We think the answers given by our correspondent 
to this inquirer could hardly be made clearer or better. 

In addition to what she wrote, we always feel like urg- 
ing the few holiness people who find but little sympathy 
from pastors or fellow members? 

1. To have some convenient place of meeting. Per- 
haps the best place for them to meet would be in a pri- 
vate house. 

2. Never let these meetings conflict with any of the 
regular services of the church. 

3. Don't bother the preacher to announce them. 
Quietly secure the attendance of others by personal in- 
vitation. 



140 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

4. DonH he discouraged if many do not come. 

5. Converse on the deep things of God. 

6. Tell one another your experiences of perfect love. 

7. Have a holiness circulating library. 

8. Introduce a good holiness paper. Get it into as 
many homes as you can. 

9. Read to one another in your meetings extracts 
from the paper and from holiness books. 

10. Work constantly, siveetly, patiently, lovingly, gently, 
to get others entirely sanctified. 

11. Have a holy independence of character, conver- 
sation, experience, life, and work. 



The Ministry of Stephen. — How unable are the 
world and a degenerate ecclesiasticism to resist the wis- 
dom and spirit of asraphic Stephen, whose honest report, 
whose wisdom, whose fulness of faith and of the Holy 
Ghost, whose pentecostal power, have filled his soul with 
fire, his lips with arguments, his face with heavenly 
glory, his speech with convincing energy. 

Xot that they will yield willingly to these; not that 
they will give up their errors ; not that they will 
cease their active opposition to the truth. While 
Stephen is yet speaking, and doing great wonders 
and miracles among the people, they are at their old, 
old business of disputing; of suborning men to bear 
false witness against him, to charge him with blasphemy 
against Moses, against "this holy place,'' against the 
law, against God; of stirring up the people and the 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 141 

elders and scribes to come upon him, to catch him, to 
bring him to the council ; of securing testimony that he 
is saying that Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, 
and change the customs which Moses delivered us. 

It is the time-worn conflict between true spirituality 
and formal religion; between Christianity and church- 
ianity ; between rites and customs, antecedents and tra- 
ditions, establishments and authority, and the fulness of 
faith and of the Holy Ghost. 

NeverthelesSj the divinely given wisdom and spirit of 
Stephen are re&istless. They sweep on to the very gates of 
heaven. They light up his face with angelic rapture. They 
leave a testimony that rises out of the very ashes of the fire 
that consumes them. They are a perpetual arraignment of 
consciences, customs and conduct. They crumble ec- 
clesiasticism into the dust. They build real Christianity 
as by magic upon the ruins of a powerful and proud but 
degenerate formalism. Stephen may be stoned; his 
Lord may receive his spirit ; he may disappear from 
earthly circles; but his spirit and his wisdom remain in 
resistless force till the final consummation. 

In our measure we may be his successors. We may 
drink in a double portion of his spirit. We may have 
the same, perhaps even greater wisdom from on high. 
The same resistless eloquence and logic or fire may fall 
from lips of heavenly flame. Angelic glory may shine 
out of our faces. Martyrdom may carry us to the bosom 
of God, to the presence of Christ, to the company of 
heaven, to joys immortal. Be our ministry long or 



142 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

short, peaceful or troubled, popular or unpopular, let us 
be sure that Stephen's spirit and wisdom are in it. 

^^ is a hard place for holiness.^' So is every 

place. DonH he discouraged. DonH allow yourself to 
say or think such things. Look above all second causes to 
the First Great Cause. God can make any place soft for 
holiness, if He chooses, and if you donH stop Him by your 
unbelief , and by talking about "hard places.^' That is 
only one form of talking out our unbelief. Pray on, be- 
lieve on, march on, ivork on, hope ever, look on the cheery 
side, "never say die.^^ 

There are Methodist parents who allow their children 
to grow up dancers, card-players and theater- goers, and 
then are surprised that the children drift away from the 
Methodist church. But they will not unite with a church 
which condemns their favorite amusements. 



Wash-Tub Consecrated. — You who are doing 
nothing for God, because you "have not the ability,'' 
read this: 

Amanda Smith was born a slave. Freed by the 
war, she worked as a washerwoman in New York. In a 
meeting led by Mr. Inkskip she received Christ as her 
Sanctifier. After speaking in meetings for some time 
with much fruit, the question came from the Lord as 
to whether she would go wholly into the work of 
preaching and trust him for her support. I have heard 
lier tell (in India) of the struggle she had over this call. 
At last she '4aid her wash-tub and flat-iron on the 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 143 

altar/' as she expressed it, and went out to preach, 
"looking unto Jesus." 

At a camp-meeting near Bombay I heard her urge 
God's children to accept the riches of full salvation. She 
brought up the old objection of counterfeit humility that 
^' holiness is too high a blessing for those who have been 
so down in sin as we/' and dealt with it this way: "Now, 
s'pose some one had given me ten thousand lacs of 
rupees — I don't know how much that is, but I s'pose it's 
a good deal"— [about $400,000,000!] "and s'pose I was 
drivin' along that grand street in Bombay among the 
big folks in my great carriage," (and her tall form, 
reminding you of the Queen of Sheba!) "and then some 
one should holler out: ^ There goes 'Mandy Smith; I 
knew her when she was doin' washin' for her livin'!' 
What dy'e think I'd do? (Earnest pause). I'd drive 
on! I'd drive ox!! I'D DRIVE OX!!!" This was 
uttered in the rising emphasis of truly impassioned ora- 
tory, and the application was most powerful — begging 
every soul to claim all God's salvation gives, driving 
right on in spite of all the criticism of the "accuser of 
the brethren" and his human agents. 



Seed-Thoughts for Soul-Savers. — Soul-saving is 
here considered as a human work. "He which convert- 
eth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul 
from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." In its 
broader sense it embraces the turning of souls from bin. 



144 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

poiDting them to Christ, training them for God and lead- 
ing them to Heaven. 

Christian life at its best is the perpetuation of the 
Christ life. ''The Son of man came to seek and to save 
that which was lost.^' Jesus soon vanished from earth, 
leaving the work of w^inning souls from sin to His fol- 
lowers. If we do it not, as Christ w^ould do if in our 
place, w^e have not the Spirit of Christ, and are none of 
His. Every Christian is a commissioned soul-saver. 
We are called to catch men. To deny the obligation or 
to evade the task, is to disown our Master, or shirk our 
calling. 

Angels are plenty, and God could send droves of them 
to warn men and woo them to righteousness; but that 
would cheat us of sharing iu the sweets and glory of 
redeeming the world. I know we are "called to be 
saints.'^ Our first call is unto holiness. But a holiness 
that does not duplicate the zeal of the soul-seeking 
Savior lacks the genuine stamp and seal. 

'' Ye,^' not angels, ''are the light of the world. ^^ Jesus 
could not get to Nathanael except through Philip. Is 
life worth living? Yes, the Christ- life is. If it paid 
Jesus to live in the flesh, it will pay you. But there is 
nothing to offset the drudgery and toil of life on the 
earth but the glory of seeking, saving and serving the 
lost. 

Have you considered that Heaven is watching us and 
is dependent somewhat for its joy on our efforts ? "There 
is joy in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth. All 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 145 

earth^s news that they are reported as caring to learn 
about up yonder is the salvation of souls. Every effort 
to win a soul stirs fresh life all through the celestial city. 
What are you doing to make Jesus glad and angels jubi- 
lant? 

Centuries ago the harvest ^vas great and the " laborers 
few.'' How much more so now! When the storm is 
approaching, how lively the harvesters toil to garner 
sheaves against destruction and loss! What harvest 
owner will dally or trifle when the crop is dead ripe and 
crying, "Come and save me?" But the call of earthly 
business is child's play compared with the Father's busi- 
ness of redeeming a sin-cursed world. Men of the world 
push and boom their affairs; but who is urging on the 
Savior's work? He is crying, "Go ye." "Why 8tand 
ye idle?" "The night cometh." Hurry up, lest some 
starving Lazarus perish at the door, through sheer neg- 
lect. 

"The soul that watereth shall himself be watered." 
A conservative holiness wall soon grow tame and taste- 
less. There is no employment so exhilarating as work- 
ing with Jesus in saving the lost. Angels would pay a 
large premium to exchange opportunities with the Chris- 
tians on earth. Yet how many good "professors" of 
religion are all but sleeping while their companions 
slumber with no oil in their vessels! Paul might w^ell 
return and cry, "Awake to righteousness, and sin not; 
for some have not the knowledge of God; I speak this 

10 



146 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

to your shame/^ The brilliant experiences are the prop- 
erty of incessant soul-winners. 

The awards of the Judgment will reveal the full im- 
portance of winning souls on earth. "They that be wise 
shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they 
that turn many to righteousness, as the stars forever and 
ever.^' Talk about '^star preachers ^^ and "star perform- 
ers.'' The "star'' saints are those who turn many to 
Jesus. Treasure in Heaven is the record of much fruit 
on earth. What are your deposits? Heaven's million- 
aires will be found among those who "ceased not to 
wain every one night and day with tears/' who "were 
made all things to all men," that they "might by all 
means save some." Even our resurrection bodies shall 
vary in honor growing out of our "labor in the Lord," 
which is "not in vain." 

When God shall muster into rank His heroes in the 
" great day," mere body rescuers, fame finders, fact gath- 
erers, adventurers, and even philanthropists and reform- 
ers will take their place in the rear of soul-winners. 
This is not written to disparage other than specific relig- 
ious work, but to stimulate a special line of Christian 
duty possible to all. Every saint may be, and must be 
a practical soul-winner, or forfeit much glory from his 
crown. If he follows up his new-born instincts, the 
converted man will find his life-business. Led on and 
sanctified by the Holy Ghost, he will find his passion for 
souls quickening. Alas! that in so many, fear or pas- 
sion has quenched this burning ambition of God in the 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 147 

soul! Is it so with you? Are you an active and reputed 
soul-saver? Can the Master call you one of His success- 
ful, skillful and untiring harvest-hands? If so, or other- 
wise, you will find profit in following these brief Seed- 
Thought papers. 



How TO Have a Revival. — 1st. Get revived your- 
self. Get your soul on fire. Consecrate all to God. 
Let Him make you perfect in love. 

2d. Remember that time is short. Eternity near. 
That you, your parents, children, brother, sister, friends, 
neighbors, all mankind, are on their way to heaven or 
hell. That all are near, and some on the brink of eter- 
nity, and soon it will be too late to save them. 

3d. Begin now. Pray for a revival. Pray on. 

Keep praying. Pray till you die. 

Work for a revival. Work on. Keep working. 
Work till you die. 

Trust. Trust on. Keep trusting. Trust till you die. 

Try this expedient. Try that. Try the other. Keep 
trying. Try till you die. 

That^s the way you cleared your farm. 

That^s the way you built your house. 

That's the way you got your education. 

That's the way you made your money. 

That's the way you got all that's worth having. 

That's the way to have a revival. 



148 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

Children and Eevivals. — Every geDuine revival 
seeks the salvation of the children. They are usually 
the easiest reached and make the most substantial workers 
in the church. 

It is estimated that over three-fourths of the people 
who are saved were converted before they were twenty 
years of age. 

Children often are among the most effective workers 
in revival meetings. ^' A little child shall lead them/' 
has proved true of many adults who have been led to 
the altar through the influence of some precious child. 

We were once in a revival w^here many children were 
converted. Some said, ^^ Nobody but children," but in 
a few years these very children were the leading spirits 
in that community. God bless the children ! 



How Not to Have a Eevival. — Don't pray for it. 
Don't believe for it. 

Look at the obstacles and consider them insurmount- 
able. 

Conclude that yours is a very wicked place. 

That there is a great deal of skepticism. 

That the people are " Gospel hardened." 

That the church is too cold and dead. 

That it is too weak and has too little social standing. 

That the preacher isn't much of a revivalist anyhow. 

That there are too few w^orkers. 

That there is too much else going on. 

That the weather is unfavorable. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 149 

Hatch up any one or more of a thousand such excuses. 

Or, make a little spasmodic half-hearted effort. 

Expect to fail and do it. 

Or, put all other lines of church work first. 

Give all the time to them. 

DonH try to have a revival. 

In that way you won^t be troubled with one and you 
will have the satisfaction of seeing your church grow 
beautifnlly less from year to year and your children, 
friends and neighbors go down to hell. 



The Short Cut to a Revival. — Any church this 
side of perdition can have a revival. " Whenf^' Before 
to-morrow^ s sun shall set. ^^Howf^^ By calling in the 
greatest and only Revivcdist. '' Where does he livef^' Not 
far from any one of us. " What is his namef^^ The 
Holy Spirit. ''But must not the church first get right f^^ 
No. He will come to make the church right. A small 
committee with God can chase a thousand, and put in 
flames with tongues of fire a heap of rubbish. If all the 
Achans, in all the churches, had to be put without the 
camp before God could send a pentecostal outpouring, 
the Israel of to-day might well hang her harps on the 
willows and despair of the millennium ever coming. 
Heat will melt ice, and a revival will cure chills. Smoke 
will drive chipmunks out of their holes, but it will take 
a Heaven-kindled fire to drive a cold professor to the 
altar of prayer, or out of the church. There are not a 
few churches in which a pentecost would be considered 



150 Life of S. Millee Willis. 

a catastrophe. These churches might safely pull down 
their lightning rods. The fire that such edifices are at 
present in danger of is not from above. And yet in an 
ecclesiastical ice house children may be born. The 
births at first will be very quiet, and it may be necessary 
to hurry the little ones into a warmer clime to prevent 
them catching a fatal chill. Better to be born at a spir- 
itual North Pole than to die forever. A mourner's 
bench and few converts will do much to arouse a dead 
church. Once started, the revival contagion will spread. 
The converts may chill, but the church will warm. 
Once in, the leaven will lift. The faint-hearted will 
rally. Success will succeed. Lines will be drawn. 
Forces will meet. When the Spartan force is found who 
will will or die, the victory will be sure. 



Faith for Revival Results. — Expect a Revival. 
^^Ask God and believe Him.'' Be as persistent and 
confident of final victory as was a Christian woman who 
wished to get a school house in which to hold a Sabbath 
School. The trustee was skeptical and refused to give 
her the key. 

Still she persevered, and entreated him again and 
again. "1 tell you. Aunt Polly, it is of no use. Once 
for all, you cannot have the school house for any such 
purpose." ^^I think I am going to get it," said Aunt 
Polly. ^^I should like to know how, if I do not give 
you the key?" ^^I think the Lord is going to unlock it." 
^^ Maybe He will," said the infidel, ^^but I can tell you 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 151 

this, that He is not going to get the key away from me.'' 
^'Well, I am going to pray over it, and I have found 
out from experience that when I keep on praying, some- 
thing must give way/' and the next time she came the 
hard heart of the infidel gave way, and she received the 
key. 

Of course the devil will rage and seek to stop the Re- 
vival. But what if he does? Has not Christ promised 
to give ^^ power over all the power of the enemy?" Then 
vanquish him in Jesus' name and by His power. 

The greater the obstacle to a Revival the more urgent 
the need of it. It is when the ''enemy comes in like a 
flood" that God expressly agrees to ''lift up a standard 
against him." 



Home Hints — The Educating Power of Exam- 
ple. — Household life is ever giving the children its 
unconscious training. It is not so much what we say to 
the child, as what we say and do in its presence, that has 
a formative influence upon its character. 

Ruskin, in speaking of his childhood, says: "I never 
had heard my father's or mother's voice once raised in 
any question with each other; nor seen an angry, or 
even slightly hurt or offended glance in the eyes of 
either. I had never heard a servant scolded; nor even 
suddenly, passionately, or in any severe manner, blamed. 
I had never seen a moment's trouble or disorder in any 
household matter; nor anything whatever either done 
in a hurry or undone in due time. . . . Nothing was 



152 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

ever promised me that was not given; nothing ever 
threatened me that was not inflicted, and nothing ever 
told me that was not true.'^ 

Can we wonder that, as the result of this, Ruskin 
could say: ^^I obeyed word or lifted finger of father or 
mother simply as a shij) her helm; not only without idea 
of resistance, but receiving the direction as a part of my 
own life and force, a helpful law, as necessary to me in 
every moral action as the law of gravity in leaping.'' 

Such training as this, both in precept and example, is 
rare, very rare; if tempered by love, it would seem 
almost perfect. 

We should expect to find noble men and women in 
families thus reared. They breathe in a constant atmos- 
phere of faith and obedience, and like healthy plants 
raised in congenial soil, they are developed to the high- 
est possibility of their attainment. 

But what of children reared in an impoverished soil 
in which no virtues can thrive, and the good seed, chance- 
sown, is parched, and finds no nutrition? Those in indus- 
trial schools, in missions of various kinds, in the tene- 
ment house and the cellar, how can love and faith, obe- 
dience, and a knowledge of our duty to God and man, 
find growth and development? But even in better homes 
we sometimes find formal instruction given in studied 
phrases, while the reverse is taught by the daily habits 
of the household. Perhaps the positive evil in such 
cases is worse than the sins of neglect resulting from the 
ignorance of the lower class. The child from the tene- 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 153 

ment house may, perhaps, listen to the story of God's 
love to us, and be 'touched by it, because suffering and 
want may have opened its heart to the need of Christ, 
the great Burden-bearer. But where the child as yet 
has had no suffering, and comparatively no wants, it has 
never felt the need of a Saviour's love, and it is not 
attracted by the very formal presentation of love and 
duty which at stated times is placed before it. 

The story is told of that well-known wall motto, 
^'God bless our home," being used as a missile between a 
quarreling pair. 

We are almost inclined to smile at the contrast be- 
tween the words and the act, but it is, after all, only a 
coarse picture of the antagonism between the spoken 
words and the actual life in merely nominal Christian 
families. And what is the effect upon the children? As, 
according to the old adage, actions speak louder than 
words, the child is educated under the more emphatic 
instruction of what it sees. 

There are parents who, because they are in good social 
position themselves, are unwilling to believe that their 
children are guilty of what they are pleased to consider 
the sins of low life. '^Of course, my children would 
never lie nor steal," says the thoughtless, complacent 
mother. She does not give them the instruction which 
might guard them against such sins, and she even resents 
the insinuation that it is needed in the Sunday-school. 
Nevertheless, she is teaching them daily by her example 
and her unguarded words. 



154 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

A group of children were together at play. A bright, 
shrewd little girl was personating mamma receiving 
calls. In a corner which was supposed to represent 
mammals dressing-room, the child is handed by one of her 
playmates what is supposed to be the card of a visitor in 
the parlor. The little girl frowns. She scowls in exact 
and clever mimicry of anger and dislike as she exclaims: 
^^Oh, I can't bear that woman, the silly creature!" She 
stamps her little foot as if on the neck of an enemy. 
Then she runs into the suppositious parlor, exclaiming 
in tones of rapturous and joyful greeting: "My dear 
Mrs. Smith! Delighted to see you! How kind of you to 
come!'' etc. This is not a fancy sketch. It was an 
actual occurrence. 

A little lad was congratulated by a young companion 
on the possession of a good ball. Where did you get it? 
was the not unnatural inquiry. 

" Fred and I were playing together. He bounced it 
so hard that we could not find it. But after he went 
home I found it in a hole. I'll keep it. He has so 
many balls he can spare this one." Not a word about 
returning it. The mother at the piazza window over- 
hears the conversation, and, laughing, says to papa: 
"Let Joe alone for getting what, he wants!" 

When Joe grows to be a man, he may help himself to 
the property of others in a way that causes the mother's 
heart to ache. But by that time she will have forgotten 
how early he began that course of appropriating to him- 
self that which rightfully belonged to another. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 155 

Thus it happens oftentimes that what we fail to say 
has its eifect, and the silence that gives consent has its 
educating power as well as the words that are spoken. 
The example set before us is so much easier to follow 
than the mere direction. 

The guide stood beside the Mer de Glace. ''How 
shall I cross it?'' asked the traveler. The guide replied, 
but the words were in a foreign tongue. 

" Follow in his footsteps/' said one beside the traveler. 
No farther instruction was needed. 

Paul, in his directions for life and doctrine to Titus, 
whom he calls " mine own son after the faith," while 
bidding him exhort young men, adds, ''In all things 
showing thyself a pattern of good works." 

May we not accept the order of the Apostle's teaching, 
and while we exhort the young, also add that other and 
more potent form of instruction — that of being ourselves 
the pattern and example of what we teach. 

A SAMPLE OF THE TRACTS HE USED THESE SEEM TO 

BE ORIGINAL. 

ACCIDENTS. 

LOST : — 
At the theatre the other night, my Christian expe- 
rience. — Presumptuous Professor, 

BADLY HURT : 

My soul, at a progressive euchre party, that one of our 
fashionable sisters persuaded me to attend. Pray for 
me. — A Penitent Sister. 



156 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

poisoned. 

Miss Unwilling-to-be-Advised was found so badly- 
affected by a dime novel last Sabbath that she could not 
attend the afternoon meeting. 

FOUND FROZEN TO DEATH ! 

A prominent church member, who began wandering 
from the regular weekly meeting, next attended the 
show, then the horse race, afterwards went fishing on 
the Sabbath, and was finally found stone dead, spiritual- 
ly, in the grocery store, listening to prurient stories and 
blasphemy against Christianity. — Life Boat, 

BIBLE READING. 

UNBELIEF AND ITS RESULTS. 

Unbelief weakens Christians and renders them unfit 
for the work of God. — Matt, xvii: 14-20. 

Unbelief prevents Christians from receiving the full- 
ness of God's blessing. — Heb. iii: 17-19. 

Unbelief produces spiritual shipwreck. — Rom. xi: 
20-22. 

Christians warned especially against unbelief. — 
Heb. iii: 7-12. 

Zacharias, a priest of God, was punished for his unbe- 
lief in a very marked manner. — Luke i: 18-20. 

Christ can do no great work where there is unbelief. 
— Mark vi: 5-6. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 157 

foot notes. 

Are you, by unbelief, retarding the success of these 
meetings? 

In which have you most faith, God's power to save 
or the institutions of evil to wreck? 

You can, by unbelief, as effectually stay the baptism 
of God's Spirit as by a positive refusal to work. (With- 
out faith it is impossible to please God. — Heb. x: 1-6.) 

"All things are possible to him that believeth." 

STARTLING FOR FALSE PROFESSORS. 

Not every one that saitli unto me, Lord, Lord, shall 
enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that doeth 
the will of my Father who is in Heaven. — Matt. 7: 21. 



The Experience of a Presiding Elder on Holi- 
ness. — On account of the contents of this letter, I am 
very glad I have not given you my full name. Those 
who read my account of the "holiness convention," at 
Gainesville, Northeast Georgia, doubtless observed that 
I did not express an opinion as to the propriety or im- 
propriety of such a meeting, or as to the genuineness or 
spuriousness of the experiences given at that meeting. 
Now that nearly a week has passed since that meeting, I 
wish to say that after having attended revival meetings 
for twenty-six years, I never was in a meeting where 
there was so much of the constant presence and power of 
the Holy Ghost. At that meeting I think at least thir- 
ty, perhaps forty, persons testified to having been sancti- 



158 Life of S. Millee Willis. 

fied and obtained perfect love. Experience may not be 
taken as the highest evidence, but experience cannot be 
gainsaid. The Lord said, '^ Ye are my witnesses. ^^ 

I have nothing to say now as to the different theories 
on the subject, but I must say that I will be glad and 
rejoice the remainder of my days, that I went to that 
holiness meeting at Gainesville, Ga. I knew who the 
leaders in the meeting would be, and though I loved 
these brethren — Dunlap, Dodge, Patillo, Butler, Jarrell, 
Timmons, (B. E. L.) Reese, Willis and others — yet I 
was not in full sympathy with their professions of instan- 
taneous sanctification. I was in the city of Atlanta and 
debated for two hours whether to go to the meeting, 
fifty miles away, northeast from Atlanta, or to go home, 
having been absent from my family for weeks. I hard- 
ly think I decided the question at all, but I found myself 
on the Gainesville-bound train. The first testimonies 
given as to salvation from all sin — inbred sin, and as to 
the obtaining of perfect love, rather grated on my ears. 
However, 1 wondered why I should be offended at a 
profession of holiness by others, which I and every Meth- 
odist preacher preaches. I soon found that the preach- 
ers, laymen and women, who professed what they called 
"the blessing of perfect love,^^ had something I had 
never obtained. They all told the same story, showed 
the same humility, and they all alike magnified the Lord 
Jesus and the atoning blood, and all alike showed an 
absolute want of fear or timidity. I talked, too, a little 
in a general way; I said that I was upon God^s altar; 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 159 

that I was consecrated in heart and life to God and His 
service; that I was willing to lay down my life, if nec- 
essary, for the sake of Christ Jesus and His gospel; nev- 
theless I had a burdened heart. The burden grew heav- 
ier by the hour. I prayed almost incessantly for two 
days and nights. I slept during these two nights but an 
hour or so at a time. My last thoughts before sleeping 
and the first in waking were prayer. I propounded to 
myself these questions, with many others: Did I not 
give my heart to God when but a boy? Have I not been 
in the enjoyment of religion nearly all my life? Was I 
not very happy only a week ago? Have I committed sin 
since that time? Have I not had the witness of the Spirit 
for days past? Why, then, this burden of heart? Why 
this deep distress and almost unbearable agony of soul? 
My prayer was: Lord, search me to the deepest depths 
of my heart; 

" Turn each cursed idol out 
That dares to rival Thee." 

It was brought to my recollection that I had always 
loved to hear my sermons praised by others, which now 
seemed to be human pride. And I remembered that at 
times I dreamed of w^ealth and worldly ease, and this 
seemed to savor of covetousness. Anyhow, I concluded 
my heart had not been entirely cleansed from moral 
pollution. I began to pray for the cleansing of the blood 
of Christ, and I reached the point where I was willing 
for God to take all inbred sin out of ray heart. But 
this temptation came. I suppose it was the tempter said 



160 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

to me: ^^Are you going to join the holiness people? It 
will be a nice spectacle for you to rise up before a con- 
gregation and say you are sanctified. The people will 
vsay you are gone crazy on religion.'' But I at last 
reached the point where I was willing ^Ho bear the 
reproach of Christ, to be the filth and ofiscouring of the 
world; and looking that men should say all manner of 
evil * * falsely for the Lord's sake." But I fully real- 
ized that I was wanting in faith. It seemed I could not 
believe that God would do this great work for me. On 
all sides these holiness brethren and sisters said: ^'Be- 
lieve! believe! It is all by faith." I was trying to 
believe. I was more than humiliated at the thought 
that though I had preached more than a hundred times 
on faithj and.explained faith to hundreds of people, and, 
as I thought, made the subject plain, now that I was 
trying to believe that God would cleanse my heart, it 
seemed that I knew nothing at all about faith. I finally 
realized that I was in a transition state, but from what, 
and to what, I did not know. The holiness meeting 
commenced Monday; on Friday morning I began to 
realize a sweet and abiding peace. The Lord Jesus 
seemed to be very near to me and very precious. At the 
close of the meeting, on Friday, at which there was great 
power of the Spirit, I stated publicly that I had received 
a peace that was abiding, and a baptism of the Spirit I 
had never had — that they might call it a second or third 
or hundredth blessing — I did not care what they called 
it — but I had received a work of grace in my heart never 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 161 

before enjoyed. After retiring to my room that night, 
a flood-tide of love and peace came into my heart. It 
was with some difficulty I restrained shouts of joy at the 
hour of midnight. On Saturday morning I left for my 
work, and preached Saturday morning and night, and 
also Sunday morning and night. That Sunday was the 
happiest day of my life. I had a constant baptism of 
the Spirit — had a discernment of the moral state of men 
I never had before, and a boldness in proclaiming gos- 
pel truth for which I had long prayed. Four days have 
passed since the blessing was first manifested in my heart, 
and my peace and faith in the blessed Christ is still the 
same. I feel that I am less than the least and Jesus 
greater than the greatest. I never had so low an esti- 
mation of myself — never had so high, or rather such 
strong and abiding faith in the Lord Jesus. Call me 
specialist, hobbyist, sanctificationist, or what you choose, 
the language of my heart constantly is, "The blood 
cleanseth! the blood cleanseth! blessed be the name of 
the Lord forever!'' As I rode on the train yesterday, I 
wanted to talk to every one I knew, and even those with 
whom I had no acquaintance, about the cleansing blood. 
Reader, has your heart been cleansed from all sin? Have 
you perfect love — love without a mixture of hatred; 
faith without any mixture of doubt; peace that is abid- 
ing and not fluctuating? And when you seek this bless- 
ing, remember that it is a great calm and not a storm. 

ASBURY. 



162 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

OEIGINAL MATTER. 

It is said of NapoleoD the First that he inquired of 
one of his artisans if he could make a bullet-proof 
armor; he said, ^^yes.^^ When he had made it the General 
said, "Now, put it on;^^ which was done. The General 
took his pistol and fired again and again, but it stood 
fire and was approved. Now, can we go forth and defy 
the world, the flesh and the devil? because we have on 
the whole armor of God, we are wrapped up in the 13th 
of 1st Cor. 

Shall the Xlth of Hebrews be wings or weights? Out 
of weakness were made strong, just by taking God at 
His word, or using that much misunderstood word, faith. 

In the XII chapter we have just the opposite of 
Xlth, that which binds the hands of Omnipotence, for 
He could not do many mighty works because of their 
unbelief, and it brought to mind an incident told by a 
Brother Jacques: He used to go to a shady place to 
prepare his sermons, when he noticed a bug go up nine- 
teen times, go up a precipice and fall back every time. 
Weary with its failures, it stretched out its wings and 
mounted up like an eagle over the place. 

Here lies one of the grand Ocean steamers. Now go 
aboard of her, walk into the splendid cabin, all the sofas 
of plush and velvet, and cushioned chairs; go next 
and look at the splendid engine; and now fifteen feet 
under the water are the furnaces; here is an engine of 
3,000 hor^e-power, and not a move; why? they have no 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 163 

steam to run her with; brass all polished, machinery all 
in order.;- now fire her up and let the steam come, and 
away she moves like a thing of life. 

The wheat in the hands of the Egyptian mummy 
remained thousands of years, but when put into the 
ground brought forth an abundant harvest. We must 
die to all below, and set our affections on things above, 
then we shall have a harvest of souls. 

A young man in Birmingham, Ala., from New York, 
just about to marry, fell into temptation and got drunk. 
He was published in the papers, and on hearing it gave 
way to depression, then destroyed himself. Psalm ix:17. 

Psalm XV. and 2nd verse: '^And speaketh the truth 
in his heart. ^^ 



MiLLEDGEVILLE, Nov. 5th, 1886. 

A young man from carried his intended bride 

to church; the collectors came round and the young man 
showed a five dollor gold piece to her; she thought that 
was too much for him to give; he told her he often did 
that in a strange church. He slipped the gold piece in his 
pocket and gave a quarter; the collection was counted 
and amounted to $3.75. Annanias and Sapphira did 
little more than this, for God looketh at the heart. What 
do you intend to do by giving that money? Is it to 
please God? then you speak the truth rather than act 
the truth. The young sister broke up the match and 
that was her cause. Acts v and 2nd. 

Matthew XXV and 34th : '^ Come ye blessed;" ^'De- 



164 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

part ye cursed/' Matthew xxv: 41. A million dollars 
a word is said to be the price of a sentence of the presid- 
ing judge of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania October 
18th. The judge pronounced the decision in eleven 
words. He said : ^'Decree affirmed, and appeal dismissed 
at the cost of the appellants.^' Elev^en millions of dollars 
determined the ownership of in those few words. What 
costly words, you say; but there are a few more costly 
words than these, and they are spoken by the Judge of 
all the earth, and decides the ownership of Heaven or 
Hell, and they are: "Come, ye blessed of my Father, 
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the founda- 
tion of the world,'' or "depart, ye cursed, into everlast- 
ing fire prepared for the Devil and his angels." 



Dearly Beloved Brother Dodge: 

"Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and 
die, it abideth alone," John xii: 24. This is what 
Brother and Sister Smith and I profess to be doing. 
Dying to the world and its applause. For the glory of 
God, we want to write this letter. We left Waycross 
for Homerville, Ga., on Saturday, October 19th. The 
Lord was with us there in power, Luke xxi: 49. Many 
bright conversions and clear sanctifications, 1st Thess. 
.5 : 23. We arrived in Hilliard, Fla,, October 25th. The 
Spirit of God still deigns to use us, and souls are being 
saved in Florida. All glory to our God! We ask all 
readers of the " Way of Life^^ to pray for us, that God 



Life of S. Miller AYillis. 165 

will keep us in the dust, and that He will put the ^'S. S/^ 
on our names — '^ Soul Savers.^' Your less than the least 
brother, 1st Thess. 5 and 23, S. Miller Willis. 



166 Life of S. Miller Willis. 



CHAPTER Xiy. 



Miller Willis — By Eev. R. W. Bigham, of the 
North Ga. Conference. 

Miller Willis was a religious prodigy. He was of an 
excellent family, Augusta, Georgia. AYeird as John the 
Baptist, irrepressible as St. Paul, only a layman, I sup- 
pose in his strange life he was immediately instrumental 
in the conversion of not fewer than five thousand souls 
in Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. His converts 
were of all classes — in city, in country, in proudest 
homes, in lowliest. A great company of believers and 
unbelievers rise up and call him blessed. 

His mother was a Christian of best qualities whose 
memory he nearly adored. He was of chunky build, 
complexion fair, black hair and eyes, body rather broad 
and long for his lower limbs which were set to it, and 
used by him awkwardly. He was a bad boy — fight 
quick, not counting the odds against him, hard to han- 
dle. Will resolute, free as a waterfall leaping from a 
peak; after conversion, gentle as peace, tender, yet true 
to convictions at any hazard, brave as love. 

He was singularly endowed mentally. He thought 
quick, in a lump, reached conclusions and formed them 
into deeds before the average man grappled the ques- 
tion, or ceased wondering what he meant, or would 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 167 

think and do next. The business niches in his brain 
were mostly sealed, but he could have made a premium 
printer. As editor he would have put things strong, to 
be fought over from sunrise till death, for usually public 
affairs and men cannot tolerate the man that lips or 
prints the whole truth, especially in capitals as Miller 
would have done. He fought through the war — a sol- 
dierly youth worthy the Southern banner — vowed if 
God would spare him to get back home he would seek 
religion, join the church, be a faithful Christian. 

He got home safely after all the battles, went again 
into his usual deviltries; one night in passing St. John^s 
church while Rev. G. G. N. McDonell was preaching, he 
peered in at the door, went in, looked around, when his 
ear caught the subject, "Pay thy Vows,'' listened, con- 
cluded some one had crammed the preacher with him 
and his ways for the occasion, got mad, pressed to the 
preacher at the altar \vhen service' closed, and said: 
"Look here! I want to know who's been telling you 
things on me — who has been talking about me to you 
telling all I ever did! I demand his name.'' 

"No one,'' McDonell replied, "no one." 

"But somebody has," said Miller, "and you must give 
me his name. Folks shall not go round talking about 
me as if I was the worst man in Augusta, and they no 
better than I am." 

"I don't know you," said the preacher, "have never 
heard of you — no one has ever mentioned you to me." 

Miller turned away muttering "that's strange; a 



168 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

strange preacher comes here and talks about me all 
through his sermon, telling the people right out in the 
pulpit all about my evil ways, and nobody has told him 
— he don't know me, never heard of me ! '' 

He walked out under the liveoaks, angry, startled^ 
bewildered. Concluding that the preaching was a mes- 
sage from God specially to him that he dare not defy^ 
he began to pray night and day alone and wherever he 
heard of a prayer-meeting in the city. He was con- 
verted about seven months after the strange preacher's 
sermon on vows which had shown him himself. To use 
a phrase of Bishop Pierce — his was "s. sky-blue con- 
version.'' He was revolutionized; Miller the devil^ 
became Miller the saint, the lion was now the lamb. 
His life henceforth was heavenly. Had he been a 
Catholic he would have been canonized. As he was a 
Methodist his name is a household word wherever known, 
carrying with it the very pathos of blessing. 

In telling of him in these papers, I yield to the Holy 
Spirit's motion, and leave the incidents to impart their 
own lessons, promising that, like pictures, they teach 
most to those who let thought have its perfect work as 
they read — there is much between the lines. 

The first Methodist I met in Augusta, when I was 
presiding elder there, was Miller. While the Secretary, 
of the Young Men's Christian Association, Rev. Mar- 
shall Lane, was trying to direct me to Prof. Derry's, 
now in the Wesleyan Female College, he said, "but 
yonder comes Miller Willis! you are all right now^; he'll 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 169 

show you the way with all his heart/^ And so he did. 
I noticed then that he carried his Bible, as constantly as 
afterward, and quoted verses as we chatted on the way. 

From that time till he went to Heaven from the Spar- 
tanburg home of Mr. Adams, whom I never knew but 
of whom Miller often spoke the best things in his own 
sententitious, sincere way; he loved me, prayed for, and 
fussed at me in his way because I could n^t understand 
sanctiiication just right. But all the same when trou- 
bles pressed him sorest, or brethren criticized him intol- 
erantly, he would come t.) me or write to me. 

Men on sight, or slight acquaintance, were given to 
calling him crazy, but he was as I have said above — 
after conversion, at any rate, having little or no "busi- 
ness sense," but he was wise to save a multitude of sin- 
ners from death, and move believers to "a closer walk 
with God." He knew much of the Bible by heart, nor 
was he a man of one book; he read many choice relig- 
ious books and papers, composed, published and circu- 
lated many aptest Christian tracts. No man can read 
the notes in his own dear crumpled handwriting, on 
texts, in his Bible, or observe paragraphs he had pen- 
ciled in books and papers, but knew the unique man 
was wise, not crazy — or crazy it was for our sakes and 
unto Christ — like the Christ. 

I said to him one day, "Miller, take a round on the 
district with me." His bright eye dashed into mine, 
and in the moment's pause he said: "If it's the Lord's 



170 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

will I would like to. I've got no money to travel on, 
but that is nothing if He wants me to go.'' 

"No/' said I, "that's all light, we'll trust God for 

that. Meet me at . Be sure! Come." And 

leaving with a friend a railway ticket for him, he met 
me at the appointed place. He had preceded me a day, 
and, as his wont was, had gone through the streets ex- 
horting all he met to be converted, or to know they had 
religion — '^know so religion — not hope so," he phrased 
it. He said to a noted citizen, a backslider, but he 
knew it not, "have you ever been converted? Verily I 
say unto you except ye be converted * * ye shall 
not enter into the kingdom of heaven!" The citizen 
replied evasively. He repeated the question, adding, 
"make haste, delay not, escape for thy life." The gen- 
tleman cursed him and said, "You go back to Augusta; 
we wish none of your sort here. We have preachers of 
our own, good men that suit us. Go.'^ "Never mind 
that," said Miller, liftiug his hand toward heaven, "I 
am no preacher, just a layman — less than the least — but 
except ye be converted, and become as little childreu, ye 
cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Turn to the Lord 
now, nowJ^ Said the citizen with oaths, "If you open 
your lips to me again I shall slap you over." "Then," 
said Miller, "I have but one thing more to say to you; 
that I will say: ^He that being often reproved, harden- 
eth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that with- 
out remedy;'" and passed on amid showering anathemas 
to persuade others. A day or two after, some ladies up 



Life of S. Miller Willis. * 171 

the street shrieked, gentlemen whirled to the sound, the 
citizen was falling from his horse; they rushed to him, 
he was insensible and died so in a day or two. 

Miller said to me one day before we left for another 
place, "Mr. Blank cursed me to-day.^' '^Cursed you?" 
I queried. ^' Yes," he said, *^me." I said, "Miller, he 
seems to be a gentleman, is so regarded here, has been 
mayor. Did he curse you or just curse around generally 
— curse at you?" 

"He cursed me good," he replied. "You never knew 
a little fellow to get a plainer cursing out than he gave 
me. I had talked to him about his soul before, and he 
received it in good part; a second time did likcAvise, but 
said, ^you have talked enough to me about religion, 
don't speak to me about it any more — I won't bear it, 
and shall knock you down.' I passed his shops to-day, 
and the chance was so good I urged him to seek the 
Lord at once, to make sure work for heaven without 
delay. He flew into a passion and turned a whole bat- 
tery of curses upon me. It seemed he would bounce me 
whether or no. But I finished my message to him and 
left it with the Lord." 

This incident happened but a few hours after the other. 
The other may have inspired it, for men strengthen one 
another in an evil way, little dreaming that not their 
brav^adoes give them impunity in encroaching upon the 
pure, but that to them unthinkable something called 
grace. In a few days the haughty man sickened, and in 
a few more I heard one say to another, "Mr. Blank died 



172 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

this morning about four o'clock. '^ I said to him pri- 
vately as the train leaped along its journey, ^^did he say 
anything of Mr. Willis before he died?'' "Yes/' he re- 
plied, "with others I waited on him, doing all that 
friends could to prevent death. He said he was very 
sorry he had been rude to Mr. Willis and hoped God 
would forgive him for it, that Mr. Willis was one of 
the best men in the world and Avas trying to do him 
good when he railed at him so — he was much distressed 
about it." 

But to our story. 

Miller Willis' respect for woman was nice. To him 
she dwelt in the realm of reverence. When he spoke to 
her there were fluty notes in his naturally grating voice, 
like the music of a song w^hen the singer smothers every 
note save the clearest, yet tenderest. He seldom iorgot 
the conventionals that hedge her in. But passing a 

street in S , he beheld a lady looking from a Avindow 

at some flowers, and, eager for souls, he said, "have you 
been converted, and do you know it? No conversion, 
no place in the kingdom of heaven. You must be con- 
verted!" 

She drew back from observation; but Miller had made 
no pause as he loosed the divine message to fly with its 
warning, like the carrier-dove, to her window. She 
quivered with indignation that one had dared address 
her from the staeet, and when her husband got home 
from the store, she told him the incident, describing the 
man. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 173 

^^ That's all right, love/' he said, ^^the man is Miller 
"Willis from Augusta; he's going with Brother Bigham 
round the district. He's the last one that would offend 
you. It's his way to help souls to God." 

*^It's a rude way," she replied. "We are both mem- 
bers of the church, and attentive to religious duties. 
Why should the man have asked that question of me 
more than of another?" 

"Well, love," he answered, "if you had been on the 
streets to-day you rather would have wondered to whom 
be didn't address that question. He lets none pass un- 
warned; he keeps busy about the Master's business, you 
may be sure. No use to be displeased about it — he 
meant the best. Since you have been telling me about 
it, I've been asking myself the question, 'Am I really 
converted? Have we ever been converted?'" 

So they conversed, turning the question o'er and o'er 
in their minds, and agreeing it was worth praying about 
with and for each other, they began together to seek to 
know for themselves the hidden power of God's love. 
In preaching Sunday, my heart was strangely moved to 
invite penitents to the altar; "but it is communion day," 
I objected, "Bishop Pierce and his father are present; 
they will think it untimely — the service will be too long, 
people become impatient." The impression became im- 
perative, so I gave the call for penitents, and Bro. 

and his good wife were the first to come weeping to the 
mercy seat. There was a quiver in the congregation, 
for few, if any, were more consistent members than they. 



174 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

A few services afterward I saw them both converted. 
They had come forward for prayer every invitation. Ser- 
vice was about to close that night when Sister rose 

up^ clasped her hands, her face shining with rapture, a 
strange charm in every movement, and said softly, " I'm 
converted! I'm so happy. Praise God! I know Fm 
converted.'' She went to a lady or two and embraced 
them, and turned eagerly looking across the church ; her 
husband rose to his feet, she flitted round the altar to- 
wards him, he opened his arms, they were together — both 
happy — both converted in almost the same moment. And 
what of Miller Willis? 

Miller sat on the front amen bench. Face turned a 
little towards heaven glowing with joy, all unconscious 
of the part he had wrought in their conversion, saying, 
^'Amen! Praise God. That's the kind, I know I'm 
converted! No hope so about that!" But next morn- 
ing in experience meeting they told of Miller and his 
question. How it led them to see their true state — un- 
converted, and how its impressions had moved them to 
constant prayer for converting grace till it had come to 
them, and now they were happy on the way, and thanked 
God they ever heard Miller ask the question, "have you 
ever been converted?" 

It was shortly after the incidents narrated, I was stand- 
ing on the court-house steps in W , and saw several 

groups of men part and hurriedly disappear from the 
square. An irreligious merchant beckoned me across to 
him and said: "Did you see those men shying off like 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 175 

deer into the stores? They took fright at Miller as he 
appeared on the street. I have been telling about cases 

at ; they were afraid he would talk to them and 

they'd forget and cuss him, and God would kill them; 
that's why they got away so quick." 

The next day he said, "Come in here, I've something 
to tell you. I was at my desk just now writing; a big, 
clever drummer was leaning just here against the counter. 
I heard Miller say, ^Have you ever been converted?' I 
expected a scene and dropped my pen to be ready. Mil- 
ler was in the street near the door. The drummer said 
nothing, but eyed him up and down. Miller waited till 
he got his look out, and said, 'The soul that sinneth it 
shall die. You must be born of the spirit. Have you 
ever been converted?' The drummer looked him over 
and over and over, and said: ^No, I've never been 
converted, and when I am it will not be by one of your 
damned sort either.' ^ Never mind that,' said Miller, 
lifting his hand towards the sky, 'that's nothing to do 
with it. Verily, I say unto you, except ye be converted 
and become as little children, ye cannot enter the king- 
dom of God. You must be converted!' and w^alked on. 
I stepped to the drummer and said, "You ought not to 
have spoken to that man as you did, he's every body's 
friend. Do you know him?" 

"No," he replied, "and don't want to." 

"Well," said I, "I know him — went to school with 
him; and several years ago, if you had looked at him 
and spoken to him as you did, you would have been the 



176 Life of S. Millee Willis. 

worse thrashed man in half a minute that^s been in this 
place since the war/' 

"Ah! that's a game two can play at/' he replied. 
^'That little fellow whip me?" 

"Yes/' said I, "pawed up the earth with you till you 
thought a cyclone had you. He's a religious man now. 
Besides, some men cursed him the other day, and they 
are dead and buried. God resents things for him now. 
You had best hunt him up and ask his pardon before 
you leave for the way you treated him." 

"S /' he said, "you know me; true I sell goods 

for a wholesale liquor house, but I respect religion, and 
religious persons. I never saw this strange man before; 
if I had known who he was I would not have spoken to 
him as I did." 

The man was really alarmed, and tried to find Miller 
to ask his pardon. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 177 



CHAPTER XV. 



Miller had little taste for any thing except the spirit- 
ual — religious. He looked in at the door upon an 
annual conference once in Augusta. The usual hum of 
voices, papers and motion were going on; a minute sat- 
isfied him, and exclaiming '^Eh" in capitals and double 
■emphasis, which put the preachers near the door in an 
uproar of laughter, he w^as gone. 

He avoided, on the round, quarterly conference ses- 
sions — too much business — religious. He'd get out in a 
grove or sequestered nook to read and pray till they 
were adjourned. But he came in when we were nearly 
through once, and took a seat among those brethren on 
the right of the altar. We Avere puzzling over the min- 
imum paid to the preacher, and the heavy balance yet 
due by the several churches on the circuit. I noticed 
presently a flutter next to Miller. Three brethren had 
their heads down behind the benches quivering; one flat- 
tened himself into the corner, yet swelled and puffed and 
held his cheeks; one sat rigid as marble, hand tightly 
clasped over his mouth, eyes dancing with mirth; another 
looking fiercely into Miller's face. I knew at a glance 
they had a case; a side issue that threatened all — except 
Miller and the angry one — with convulsions. I said 
something ^4oreign to the subject'' to help them to self- 



12 



178 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

restraint, and they did very well a while. But soon a 
mighty whispering went on there that made me know 
that corner was flushed anew; then Miller spoke in low, 
distinct tones : "My! starving your preacher — keeping 
back his own from him; making him work for you in 
the gospel and support himself. It's a shame to gam- 
blers even. Your church paid less than fifty dollars all 
the year! Why, the poor factory people in Augusta do 
a heap better than that. You ought to pay that much 
yourself, and then be doing no great thing. You are 
all backslid, if you ever had any religion. Go right up 
there and pay your church out like a man!" There was 
a jumpy thud — the big, tall man had leaped to his feet 
and w^as gazing down into Miller's quiet, firm face with 
a look of utter disgust and wrath, then pressed his way 
out the door, saying: "I won't stay in here — I'll hear 
no such. The others pulled their noses, clutched their 
hair, clasped their mouths, looked at Miller, and in the 
effort not to laugh out in meeting, their benches shook 
like an earthquake had them. Without knowing it he 
had attacked the miser of the crowd, and told him things 
that had never before entered into his philosophy — 
things his brethren had longed for him to hear but dared 
not utter. Amid the very merriment he provoked. Mil- 
ler had won their hearts and they rallied to the question. 
He was an original — none like him in all the earth. 
Men laughed and shouted for joy because of him in the 
same breath. His abruptness, unconscious courage, 
directness, peculiarities of manner and emphasis, giving 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 179 

the devil his due while stirring souls to God in season, 
out of season, one way and another and forever, impart- 
ed a fresh, new, quick, varied spell upon the best and 
the worst. Had he not been just himself — only Miller 
Willis — he would have been but a derisive eccentric ; 
but as he was himself alone full of God, wherever he 
appeared men soon knew there was a strange king in the 
camp — however peculiar, none the less a very king of 
men. That his abruptness was sometimes met with 
abruptions, is no marvel when men^s nature is remem- 
bered. I said to him once: ^^ Miller, have you never 
been smitten in approaching men?^^ 

"Yes,'' he replied, "five times knocked nearly down; 
but what is that to saving a soul? Once in speaking to a 
crowd of gamblers of their sin, one of them struck me 
quick as a mule kicks. I didn't know but some of the 
rest would tear him in pieces before they would heed me 
and let him alone." 

In elegant Eatohton, I missed him awhile after din- 
ner, and thinking my presence would favor his work on 
the streets, I went there. I saw as I neared the square 
the excitement was up. A group of lawyers was discuss- 
ing him, while looking down a principal thoroughfare, 
the store doors were full of gazers. Many had stepped 
into the street, strung out across it like the muster-line 
of Judge Longstreet's "Georgia Scenes," peering in the 
same direction — it was their first sight of Miller. I 
heard afar off the call, "have you ever been converted? 
Ye must be converted. Turn ye, turn ye, for why will 



180 Life of S. Miller Willis. - 

ye die. I wonder if tbere\s any backsliders here? Be 
sure your sins will find you out/' and I knew Miller 
was there and safe. In greeting me one of the lawyer 
group said: ^^Mr. Bigham, who the — the — is that man?'' 

It was easy enough to read the word hell between 
lines of this question, but the questioner had flushed 
good-humoredly at coming so near and just missing it, 
and I queried, ^^Whom do you mean?" ^^Why," he 
replied, ''that little black-headed dump of a preacher 
that's got the whole town stirred up, agog, watching him 
like he were the lunatic asylum turned loose, and flying 
at his approach like the devil were after them?" 

''It's Miller Willis," I replied; "not a preacher, a lay- 
man come to help us in a meeting. Goodness will not 
exactly die when he does, but a heap of it will leave the 
world at that time." 

Just then the men in the street and store doors fled to 
cover; one of my group slid into the office, two stood 
their ground till Miller came up and were introduced 
to him, and stood fairly to his exhortations until he 
turned from us into another street. No man assailed 
him with hot words intolerant, polite Eatonton. They 
laughed at themselves and one another among themselves 
concerning him. But many, unused to religious thoughts, 
took his works of fire into their bosoms to think over, 
and many Christians were quickened by his presence. 

I said to the members of the quarterly conference, at 
its close, "Miller Willis' expenses are something on this 
journey among the churches. You are under no obliga- 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 181 

tion whatever about them, but if your hearts are free to 
it, and you wish it, I wall hand him any present you will 
bestow. True, it will do him, personally, little good. 
He will give it away to the poor, but it is a huge joy for 
him to give, and he deserves it.'^ 

^^Yes," replied one of the finest characters that ever 
graced the church or State, 'Sve'll do cheerfully any- 
thing you say, but I fear it was a mistake to bring him 
for the meeting's good — not adapted to our people. '^ 
Several hands dashed for their pockets as he spoke, and 
one said, ''give him that bill for me. Brother B., he's 
done me that much good anyhow," ''and that,'' said an- 
other, "he's done me five times its good," "and that and 
that," said others. A soft smile scuffled through the 
pastor's face (W. D. Anderson) at the rapid scene of 
tears and liberality, as he added his offering. 

"Well," said the doubter, as he cheerily added his 
gift, "I am the mistaken one; you have made no mis- 
take at all in bringing him. I take the criticism all 
back; our preachers always know best about these things. 
Miller has done good it seems to every man in this room, 
the very leaders in the church." "Yes, interjected one, 
"you've not been well enough to be about the streets 
much of late, and you'd be surprised to hear the many 
persons in aud out oi any church, say how much good he 
has done them — the best and the hardest speak of it." 

He had made the mistake men of his rank were apt to 
make at first concerning Miller and his methods, forget- 
ful for the time, that in elegance there are avenues ad- 



182 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

mitting and admiring just the character, when fully 
discerned, now before him, needing its presence to make 
even itself wiser, nobler, happier, better. This does not 
apply to the imaginary elegant; they are ^^ mistaken 
souls ^' — weak; nor to the exquisites, they are dudes. 

Of the sensibilities, Miller possessed a rare one — per- 
haps the grace of delicacy best defines it. Many, not 
knowing if there be any grace of delicacy, a sweetest 
pearl in his wondrous make-up, hindered the matchless 
worker by thrusting themselves forward when an angel 
would stand aside lest he obstruct him • who lives on 
heaven^s verge constantly. 

I do not recall the date, my district book being mis- 
placed, of the Richmond camp-meeting when he entered 
the sanctified state; but it \vas about fifteen years ago, 
and in the scope of vines and woods to the right of the 
camp-ground as it is entered from Augusta. Though he 
said he did, I doubt that he ever lost the grace ; only 
lost the witnessing glory, and he always specially loved 
Rev. W. C. Dud lap who guided him again into the reas- 
sured experience. Thenceforward he professed it unmis- 
takably, irrepressibly, jubilantly. Like lightning clap- 
ping its hands in cloudy and clear Aveather were his 
avowels of holiness. He was a strict Biblicist, and loved 
to call it sanctification in emphasized capitals, yet pro- 
fessed it as distinctively ^^the second blessing.'^ He 
often was expecting certain persons to obtain it, and said 
of a few: "They have it if they'd just say so.'' He 
lived it. No vision of a season, no brainsick theory was 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 183 

it with him. It was as real as Mt. Pisgah, and, like its 
sacred height, brought him close to heaven. His was a 
softer, more lovingly sympathetic character after this 
experience came to him. Before it, he was the Jewish 
prophet (he looked like a Jew) exclaiming, "Thou art 
the man! repent or be turned into hell.^' Now he was 
more the good Samaritan binding up his wounds who 
"fell among thieve?,'' and was left "stripped, wounded, 
half dead." 

Last summer he came to us at the Dalton parsonage 
from some meetings near, and for a week helped us in 
the great tabernacle meeting. Every where at first ap- 
pearance, a certain dread of him fell upon the people — a 
wonderment such as I imagine souls feel when nearest 
the supernatural; they preferred a space between him 
and them. Young people of either sex, even of religious 
habit and experience, were apt to yield to the weird emo- 
tion till better acquainted, when wonder of him joined 
with reverencing joy for his presence, and the fascina- 
tion of his exclamations and appeals. 

Dalton is equaled by few cities in young ladies whose 
education and Christian culture excel. One of these, in 
passing the parsonage, paused, as was her wont, to greet 
its inmates, and was invited to come in. "O, no, no!'' 
she said, with eyes amazed, yet smiling, "1 cannot call 
until your company leaves." " We have no company," 
was replied, "except Brother Willis, and he's up-stairs 
in his room likely praying for you now." "Well," she 
said, " I mean specially him. I don't want to meet him 



184 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

— I'm afraid of him, he's like some strange being, not 
mortal. I might say something not exactly right, but 
as he's shut in up-stairs I'll come in awhile." 

Just as she stepped upon the veranda Miller appeared 
at the door, and throwing up her hands, she exclaimed, 
^^O, there he is now! I must g — go; good-bye," and sped 
away. Miller, with his quaint emphasis, said: ^'Eh! 
what is that for!" '^ She's afraid to meet you," was an- 
swered; and Miller exclaimed after her, "the wicked 
flee when no man pursueth!" But she made no tarrying 
in all the plain — her charming face flushing more and 
more with the confusion of hearing and flight. 

"Mr. Willis," said my wife, "that's one of the most 
lovable Christians in all the world — few excel her in 
any way. She'd be a martyr for her church and pastors,, 
and twice such for the Christ." " Well," replied Miller, 
"the text will do her good anyhow, it's the Lord's word." 
And it was for good. For in speaking of it afterwards, 
she said: "While it frightened me more, it was so un- 
expected and apt, that it made me laugh and cry almost 
in the same instant. Now I am more afraid to fly from 
than to meet him, and I intend being a better Christian, 
less like the wicked." She set herself a hard task in the 
last two phrases, for Prov. xxxi:29, applies apter to her 
than to one among a thousand. And surely never was 
man more perfectly furnished with the "apt words fitly 
spoken" of God's book than he. The "apples of gold '^ 
were tossed into the heart by him forevermore, except 
when "polished arrows" were used by him. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 185 

In going from the house into the city he usually 
paused as he closed the gate, and lifted his right hand 
towards heaven seemingly in deep thought. My wife 
said to him once in that attitude, "Mr. Willis, why do 
you, in starting up town always pause at the gate and 
lift your hand up toward heaven ?^^ 

"O,'' he answered, "I am just asking the good Lord 
to tell me which way to go to meet the right persons 
and do the most good.'' And just then, glancing across 
the beautiful avenue, he beheld two young ladies w^ater- 
ing flowers from the hydrant over there. He whirled 
instantly away, crossed the street to them, and before 
they knew he was near, said: "Have you ever been con- 
verted? You must be born of the spirit — except ye be 
converted and become as little children, ye shall not 
enter into the kingdom of heaven !'' 

One of them fled into the house; the other wanted to, 
but couldn't get disentangled from the flowers and the 
watering hose, and replied: "I don't know, sir, if I 
have been converted. I am a member of the Presbyte- 
rian church." 

"That won't do," he said; "people may be church 
members and not ready for Heaven. You must be con- 
verted, born from above." 

She stood like some fair vision, trembling in the inter- 
view as he urged lier to seek till she knew she was con- 
verted, and turned away towards the church. She said 
after he had gone she kept thinking of the words, "have 
you ever been converted. You must be converted till 



186 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

you know it;^' in the house and out among the flowers, 
everywhere, the very tones in which they were uttered 
singing constantly in her heart till she went to the tab- 
ernacle altar, and sought that special grace. It came to 
her rich, enrapturing, full. She came to me amid the 
weeping and song, and hosanna of the altar, to tell me of 
it, saying, in wondering ecstasy, '^O, I'm converted. 
I'm converted. It came to me while praying, so joy- 
ously and sweet! It is so happy to be converted — to 
know I am the Lord's." She looked, in her laughing 
tears of gratitude, to God for His saving grace, like an 
impersoued dream in whose visions faith, peace, heavenly 
hope, unspeakable joy and love, had woven their glad- 
dest colors of bliss. Her name was Lily, and divine 
grace had now arrayed her in a beauty more charming 
than the power of her name, ^^the beauty of holiness." 

How many like instances of Miller's strange wooing 
to Christ lie asleep in Jesus, wherever he went, waiting 
the resurrection of the just, or yet live adorning the doc- 
trine of holiness to the Lord! 

In speaking of incidents that befell him in the coun- 
try churches around Dalton, he said: '^I noticed a lady 
in the congregation who all the while seemed indifferent 
to the services, so I thought I'd urge her to seek relig- 
ion and be saved. In talking to her about it, I asked 
her if she had ever been converted. She said it was 
none of my business, and wished I would let her alone, 
which closed the conversation, oi course. But another 
time the impression to persuade her to turn to God and 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 187 

live was so strong that I did so the best I knew how. 
With angry exclamations, quick as thought, she slapped 
my face r-rap! So I said: 'I shall leave you in the care 
of the Lord/ and left her." 

" Shame, shame ! " exclaimed the ladies in the parlor. 
'^And does she live after that?" 

^^I hope so," said Miller, smiling, "but she made my 
ears ring and my cheek tingle. I reckon one might 
have seen the print of her fall hand on my cheek for 
minutes after. I believe she was deeply convicted for 
sin, why she became so furious; maybe she'll be con- 
verted soon." 

"Miller forever," thought I, "gallant as a knight to 
the last; he hoped all things good of woman, even against 
hope, and he's right." 

This brings the query, "why did so many he talked 
to about their souls, particularly as he stressed the appeal 
^you must be converted, and now is the time,' go beside 
themselves with rage, and here and there with cursing?" 
Is the answer in this — their iinspirituality was bitter, 
perfect ; his spirituality intense, perfect, " the single 
mind," and so the battle to the death was at once on — 
"Michael contending with the devil about the body of 
Moses." But like the angel, it was not Miller that railed 
and winced, whatever the devil did. 

After no conflict of the sort did I ever hear him say, 
"The Lord rebuke him," but "The Lord save him." 
Once he said to me, "w^hile the cursing man was ripping 
around so, I felt, "old fellow, if j-u-s-t the Lord was 



188 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

willing, I'd soon make you sing another song to that/' 
but the feeling was only for a moment, and I was 
ashamed of myself that it found a moment's space in me.'' 
What power is in the grace that made Miller Willis, 
naturally fierce and quick as a cyclone, forbearing and 
patient as love! Should we not all have grace of that 
special power — ministers and laymen — it martyrs self to 
spare and bless others? 

It was current, even before he professed sanctification, 
that more than a dozen men who had viciously cursed 
him, as he besought them to turn from evil to good, had 
quickly gone down in strange deaths as though smitten 
by the invisible God. ^^ Shall not Shimei be put to 
death for this, because he cursed the Lord's anointed?" 
Miller, like David, spared Shimei, but God rested not 
till the fearful doom overtook him. 

Miller had with him at Dalton, in that lumbersome 
black satchel, a record book. One day he said to my 
Jittle daughter, Lewie, ^^you must write for me to-day in 
my book. I am storing away in it some things in my 
life which, maybe, the Lord will bless to souls after I 
am in Heaven, if I ever get there, less than the least, 
less than the least, yet I am in the way, bless the Lord." 
But when the set time to write as he should utter came, 
he said: ^' I cannot attend to the book to-day; I must 
go about and try to save some souls." 

I wish the entries in that book could be read, espe- 
cially by those who knew him best. Doubtless they are 
simple and pure as light, flooded with heavenly life. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 189 

Once, just before he went on the streets to seek souls, 
we grouped about him as he stood clasping his long staff 
like one which that national celebrity, General Duff 
Green, used in his latter days, my wife queried: '^Do 
you still fast and pray every Sunday for Major Willis as 
you did when you came to see us in Middle Georgia?^' 

'' No,'^ he replied, with a smile of utter joy, " Brother 
Ed. is converted now. He was always a big-hearted, 
good brother. I shall meet him in Heaven; for if I 
ever get there, I shall see Brother Ed. there. If he 
goes first he'll greet me among the first when I come; if 
I go first I know I'll be on the edge to welcome him. 
There's no put on about Brother Ed.; he meant to live 
right. But I am fasting and praying now for another 
person every Sunday. I hope the Lord will save that 
person, too; if not while I live, some time sure, any- 
how." And he passed out to the sidewalk, going to seek 
and persuade the lost to Christ. 

At the tabernacle, the night before he left for Atlanta 
and Oconee county to help in meetings, I had a few 
words with two old Confederate veterans who knew him in 
the war, and at the depot next morning they handed me 
a new purse for him with about twenty dollars in it, 
which grew to about thirty as he stepped upon the cars. 
Presently he was casting pearls among the throngs about 
the train, and as the engine puffed along in careful start 
away, he rounded up his exhortation as follows: ^^I 
wonder who's got religion! Without holiness no man 
shall see the Lord! You must be converted and sancti- 



190 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

fied, too, and know it — not hope so. You can have a 
hope and yet be lost. Where is the backslider! Let him 
return unto the Lord and He will have mercy upon him. 
^The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations 
that forget God.''' 

So he exclaimed as the cars rolled away, and I watch- 
ed him out of sight, not thinking it was my last look at 
Miller Willis, strange as an incarnate phantom, as per- 
fect a Christian spirit as ever I knew on land or sea. 
No marvel that Mr. Adams, in his touching narrative of 
his death scene in Spantanburg, S. C, says: "He was 
cold, and his eyes almost set; he could not see me, but 
he could hear my voice and understand me. I said: 
*Are you still trusting in the Lord?' ^Now and for- 
ever,' he replied, and then asked, Mo you hear me?' 
^Yes, praise the Lord!" I said, and with ^amen' on his 
lips, he died. It seemed to me that when he asked if I 
heard him, his spirit had already crossed over the river, 
and, standing on the shore of paradise, he called back to 
know if I could hear his last testimony for Christ." 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 191 



CHAPTER XYI. 



Impressions of Miller Willis, by Rev. C. C. Gary, 
OF the North Ga. Conference, M. E. Church, 
South. 

No layman Id religious circles was better known in 
Georgia and South Carolina than Miller Willis. No 
one was more greatly beloved, and no life left a finer 
influence and made a deeper impression for good. "He 
being dead, yet speaketh.^' No death was more deeply 
regretted — not that we would change the order of Provi- 
dence, but because it seems as if such a man could hardly 
be spared. 

For Miller Willis I had a peculiar affection. My re- 
lation to him was one of intimacy for many years. I 
knew much of his inner life. At the Houghton Insti- 
tute in Augusta, Ga., we were school-boys together, 
though he was several years my senior. When in Sep- 
tember, 1867, I joined St. James' Church, Augusta, I 
was thrown immediately in close contact with him, and 
he became my companion and adviser. No one did more 
to influence my life and shape my Christian character. 
Whatever is aggressive in my religious composition is 
due largely to early and intimate association with this 
godly man. He taught me lessons not learned in books. 
Together, as young men, we visited the jail and city hos- 



192 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

pital to talk to and pray with the inmates. Together 
we went into the houses of the poor and rooms of the 
sick, and sat up with the dead. Weekly in class-meet- 
ings and young men^s prayer-meeting, we were thrown 
in contact with each other. He was one of the few who 
heard my first prayer in public, and was present when I 
first led a public service. Often did we hold sweet con- 
verse together in those days. Of late years I did not 
see as much of him, but our relations were still intimate. 

His conversion was of the " sky-blue ^^ kind. Noth- 
ing could make him doubt it. How often have I heard 
him, in public and in private, speak of the time so dis- 
tinct and the place so marked on Ellis street. Augusta, 
Ga., just across from his home, where God, for Christ^s 
sake, converted his soul! How he immediately went 
around and woke up the neighbors to tell them the glad 
news, and how slow they were to believe that he who 
had been so wild and mischievous, should be saved from 
sin! That fact he never doubted. That moment never 
faded from his memory. 

Then, several years thereafter, he w^as entirely sancti- 
fied at Richmond county camp-meeting, but soon lost 
the experience. Afterward at White Oak church in Co- 
lumbia county, under a sermon by Rev. W. C. Dunlap, 
he again received this grace of sanctification, which he 
retained till he died. No man gave clearer testimony to 
the two great facts in religious experience of spiritual 
regeneration and entire sanctification. 

It Is not often a man is announced as dead and lives 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 193 

to read his own obituary, but such was the case with him 
fifteen years ago. On February 27, 1876, the Augusta 
Constitutionalist published his death as having occurred 
in Charleston, S. C, the day before, and announced that 
his body would arrive that afternoon for burial. Much 
to the joy of many friends, the news was contradicted 
two days later. God had further use for him, and, as in 
the case of old Hezekiah, added fifteen years to his life. 

Our departed brother was remarkable in several par- 
ticulars. Like King Saul, he ^vas head and shoulders 
above many of the people about him, in faith, in zeal 
and in consecration. In these respects, however, there 
is no reason why many might not be like him. His 
strong faith, constant devotion and burning zeal may be 
duplicated. Divine sovereignty does not forbid it. 

Several things deeply impress me concerning Brother 
Willis: 

Men regarded him as '^ peculiar,'^ and in some respects 
he was. But it w^as not because he coveted peculiarity. 
He had no foolish ambition to be regarded as queer. 
Whatever of peculiarity there was about him, was the 
natural result of his deep religious convictions, his abid- 
ing faith in and fixed purpose to conform his life to 
God's Word. He was so far ahead of those about him 
in entire devotion to God, that it made him seem pecul- 
iar. If more of us were more Christ-like, as he was, 
his seeming peculiarity w^ould not have been so striking, 
while the world might have also called us peculiar. He 
was unlike the world around him, and just so far was he 

13 



194 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

really peculiar. Miller Willis never did anything solely 
that he might be singular. There was '^ method in his 
madness. ^^ If he ever did anything out of the usual 
order, there was some noble end in view. If on the 
street, in the family or in the church, he did anything 
which seemed strange or out of the usual order of things, 
it was that he might impress or save a soul or please 
God. If he had a mania for any one thing, it was to 
pull souls out of the fire. And much of his so-called 
peculiarities grew out of this burning desire to save 
men. If he knelt in prayer before eating, or on enter- 
ing a church, it .was that he believed literally in praying 
everywhere and over everything, and that he should not 
be ashamed to kneel before men. If he questioned per- 
sons on the highway about their souls, or in the home 
circle, it was because he believed religion should be an 
every-day subject of conversation, and no time was ill- 
timed to talk to dying men and women about their 
eternal interests. Misunderstood? Of course he was. 
But so was his Lord. Not appreciated? Neither was 
his great forerunner, the Apostle Paul. Doing things 
out of the regular order? Yes; and so did his prede- 
cessor, John Wesley. 

No greater mistake was made than when some people 
thought him crazy. On. any subject he would converse 
intelligently at proper times. It was only necessary to 
have him in the home circle to know him as he really 
was — clear-headed and sensible, tender-hearted and true. 
He had no time to waste on the world^s trivial affairs. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 195 

When on his Master's business, he was too sharp to be 
switched off of his favorite theme of salvation by the 
sinner whom he was warning to flee from the wrath to 
come. How did he know but that this would be the 
last warning this dying soul would ever receive? 

Men called him ^^ cranky. '^ But in the revelations of 
the judgment it need not surprise us if Miller Willis 
show^s up as the wisest of all those who thus spoke of 
him on the earth. 

He was noted for his strong faith in prayer. Who 
can tell how much he prayed ? If God gave him access 
to human hearts — if he had power with men — if he had 
a religious influence which had weight — it was because 
he went often to the closet and tarried long at the mercy 
seat. He knew the source of power. He knew how to 
pray. Here was one great secret of his life — a secret 
easily discovered to all, but apparently hidden from 
many. The "hour of prayer" was a familiar one. It was 
an hour of wrestling, of communion, of delight. He dis- 
covered what so many forget, that the true source of 
strength was not in worldly wisdom or wealth — not in 
human knowledge or social prestige, but in God ; and 
nothing could prove a substitute for prayer. 

He was remarkable for his simple and implicit faith 
in a special Providence. No little child ever trusted his 
earthly parent more than Miller Willis confided in his 
Heavenly Father. And no little child was ever more 
tenderly cared for by father and mother than was Miller 
Willis by his Father in heaven. If all his life were 



196 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

known, there would appear as remarkable things as ever 
occurred in the history of George Muller. Some things 
were so surprising that no explanation is satisfactory 
save on the ground of a special Providence. Miller 
Willis' life was a standing proof and clear illustration of 
this Scripture doctrine. 

His was a special mission to warn sinners and call 
them to repentance. Possibly no man in Georgia, wheth- 
er minister or layman, ever warned more souls of the 
wrath to come, in public and in private, in religious 
meetings, in the homes of the people, and on the high- 
way. Wherever he went, in city or country, there his 
voice was heard, in warning tones, calling out to men to 
turn from sin and be saved. This one thing he never 
forgot. The "care of souls'' was ever on his heart. He 
always remembered that wherever he met his fellowmen 
some one might receive his last warning at his mouth. 
If the story of his frequent warnings could be written, 
with the sequel in each case, how^ our hearts would be 
moved ! 

What was the secret of his life ? He believed im- 
plicitly God's Word and lived as if he believed it. And 
others believed that he believed it. Only this and noth- 
ing more. He held fast to the doctrine of eternal pun- 
ishment. He never became so worldly-wise and 
advanced in theology as to modify the Scripture teach- 
ing about an everlasting hell. He believed sinners were 
on the verge of eternal torment, and went up and down 
the earth warning men of their imminent peril. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 197 

He was no sponge. He was always giving out some- 
thing good. To be with him was to be blessed. He 
absorbed much of God^s grace, but only God knows how 
much he gave out. He had no regular income, yet 
never lacked for any good thing. Still he never asked 
man for a cent. Of all he received, he gave back one- 
half to the Lord. A favorite expression with him was, 
'^Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor.'^ 
Though seemingly dependent, he was not. There was 
something manly and noble about him, and numbers 
were only two glad to favor him. 

Thank God for Miller Willis ! Heaven is richer and 
earth is poorer. ^^His works do follow him." The 
good world seems much nearer since he has gone to live 
there. He is not a stranger to its inhabitants. While 
my heart is strangely sad at the thought that he is gone 
from us, and we shall see his face no more on earth, it is 
cheered with the blessed hope that he is forever with 
the Lord. 

How he longed to ^'depart and be with Christ!" 
Those who knew him best know how anxious for years 
he was to go. Never soured, neither repining nor fret- 
ting about earth ; always happy, cheerful and submis- 
sive, whatever his lot might be ; he realized truly he 
was only a stranger and pilgrim, and was " willing rather 
to be absent from the body and be present with the 
Lord." How he roams over heaven^s fair fields and 
revels in its holy joys and angelic associations ! None 
more joyous than he — none sing louder notes of praise 



198 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

to his Redeeming Lord ! At last he has gained that 
place of which he so often sang and about which he de- 
lighted to talk ! 

Will he not watch and wait at Heaven's gate for those 
ol us he has left behind ? The thought of Miller Willis 
in heaven almost makes me long to go over the river 
and be with him. 

A member of the Georgia Legislature, a companion 
and schoolmate of Miller Willis in his boyhood days, 
and a member of the same church, said to me a iew days 
after his death, that if what we believe in the Scriptures 
is true, there could be no doubt that when Miller Wil- 
lis' redeemed and disembodied spirit left this earth for 
the better world, the everlasting gates swung wide open 
to allow him an abundant entrance, and the angels and 
the spirits of jiist men made perfect accorded him ?. 
grand and hearty welcome. And who that knew him 
doubts it ? 

Augusta honored herself in giving him such a funeral. 
Its cemetery holds no dust more precious and sacred. 
"Thy brother shall live again !" 

It is no mere poetic sentiment, but truth we may sing 

over his grave : 

" Servant of God, well done ! 
Rest from thy loved employ ; 
The battle fought, the victory won ; 
Enter thy Master's joy." 

Clement C. Gary. 

Atlanta, Ga., Sept. 12, 1891. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 199 



CHAPTER XYII. 



Miller Willis. 

[From Rev. M. D. Smith, of the North Georgia Conference.] 

I had known this precious man for five or six years. 
I am not quite sure, but think I first met him at Griffin 
in a Holiness Convention (where he always was when it 
was within reach of him). 

While everybody I ever heard speak of him said he 
was crazy, I was wonderfully drawn to him, and was 
delighted with his dead shots on sin. He impressed me 
as no other man ever did. I never tired of his com- 
pany. I have had him in my home weeks at a time and 
he was always a welcome guest. In 1890 he spent some 
months in Atlanta, and most of his time was divided be- 
tween the home of Bro. Thos. Thrower and myself. It 
was during this stay that he had his famous bible re- 
bound, and the first entry, or note he made in it, after 
the blank leaves were put in, was in my study. I can 
see him as he would sit near me by a window, pen and 
ink in readiness, with some book busy reading, suddenly 
he would exclaim, "Bless God I have an idea!'^ and 
then with haste he would transfer it to his Bible under 
some appropriate text. I would sometimes say, "Bro. 
Willis, what is your new idea?'' "Ah, I can't give you 
my thunder, you would use it the first chance you had," 



200 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

he said. "I was down with Bro. Reese some time ago, 
and he would get hold of my Bible and get some of my 
best thoughts, and just when I would think of bringing 
them forth, bless the goodness, Bro. Reese would turn 
loose the very thing I had in mind to say, and I would 
wonder where he got that. I knew I had never read 
or heard any man use that thought but myself, and I 
come to find out he had been stealing my thunder, and 
I just put my Bible beyond his reach, and that is the 
way I will have to do you.^^ One of his pat sayings, 
when he would begin his study was, '^Now I am going 
into meditations most profound, and the first fellow who 
disturbs me will just come down with a Y-dollar bill.'^ 
Accompanying the remark with a slap on my knee, and 
many would be the V (ve) dollar bills he would have to 
pay, had we kept count against him, for before five min- 
utes he would have some idea to air. 

One remarkable fact was, the children all liked him. 
I would know sometimes before he was near the house 
by the little ones crying, ^'Oh, yonder comes Brother 
Willis!^' and then aw^ay to see who could get to him 
first. He always would inquire if they loved Jesus. I 
remember one day he had the whole crop out in the hall 
teaching them to repeat in concert 1st John 2d chapter 
and 1st verse, ^^My little children, these things write I 
unto you, that ye sin not,^^ and never did he stop until 
the last little toddler who could talk could repeat the 
whole text and tell where it was found. 

He had a peculiarity of giving the chapter and verse 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 201 

in all his quotations. I never saw Brother Willis in 
too big a hurry to stop to speak to some man about his 
soul, and to give him a tract. When he and I had to 
go anywhere together I always started in time to allow 
him time to talk some by the way. He, wife and I 
were going to Trinity one night to church, and I am 
sure he did not pass a single bar-room that he did not 
walk into it with the air of a king, and right up to the 
counter and square himself before the bar-tender and 
give him a tract. Many times it would be his favorite 
exhortation, which he had printed in large red letters — 
*' Prepare to Meet thy God.'^ The fellow would be 
most sure to ask, "What is this?^' His ready answer 
was, "A message from God for you, sir,'^ and often 
without another word he would walk out, and every 
time he put his right foot on the floor the pilgrim staff 
would strike it at the same instant. 

He and I went often together to a tent meeting held 
on Mangum street, under direction of Brother W. P. 
Smith. One German had a little beer shop on the back 
street, and Brother Willis never passed the man without 
stopping. The first time he went in the old fellow said, 
very pleasantly, in his dialect, ''What will you have?^^ 
When Miller handed him his "Prepare to Meet thy 
GoD^' and said, "You are dealing out damnation here to 
your fellow man,'' etc., when the little German said, 
"Gits ride oud o' my leedle shoup, I tells you! I vants 
no sich coostomer." But Brother Willis had thrown his 
arrow and was quite ready to go. The next night it 



202 Life of S. Millee Willis. 

was quite in order for him to enter again, and he popped 
his head in at the door and said, "Your door has this 
sign, ^ Open, Come In,^ and I am in," and down went 
another tract on the counter and the irate Dutchman 
vociferating, "Gits ride out o' my leedle shoup!'^' The 
third night he gave him another call, the dutchy decided 
he would change his manner, so, when Brother Willis 
entered he said, "Walk ride oup and have a leedle 
something to drink/' Brother Willis said, "Bless God, 
I have a fountain within me springing up unto eternal life 
— won't you drink of it and stop gulping down this vile 
stuff you have here?" "Gits ride out o' my leedle 
shoup — gits ride out I tell you, I have de police after 
you, you insults a man ride in his own house." "Yes, 
but he that being often reproved and hardeneth his ueck 
shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." 
That was the last time he ever entered that beer shop — 
the fire in a day or two thereafter fixed it in bad shape 
for any one to enter. 

One day, about this time, he came in hurriedly and 
said, "Bro. Smith, I have come to get some tracts printed 
to suit the dear bar-keepers." I have forgotten the 
form, but it was mainly scriptures, such as this: "Woe 
unto him who puts the bottle to his neighbors' lips," etc. 
He made it quite personal and practical. You may de- 
pend I printed him the required number, and away he 
went, and never stopped till he had put one in every 
bar-room he could find in Atlanta. He then came back 
for another, saying, " I have put in the probe, now I 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 203 

want to pour in oil and wine and see if I can get them 
to the inn.'' This one he had more mild, yet very 
pointed. When supplied, away he went on his second 
round to visit the ''dear bar-keepers/' as he termed 
them. A few days afterward a bar-keepei on Marietta 
street fell dead in his place of business, and a citizen told 
me that that man had abused and cursed Miller Willis a 
few days before, when he Avas in to see him. 

He gave away more tracts than any man I ever knew, 
and never threw one away, but would pick up one if he 
saw some one else throw it away. 

One night the matress factory on corner of Marietta 
and Foundry streets burned ; it made a tremendous fire, 
and this was a hey-day with Bro. Willis; he told me he 
sowed tracts around that fire by the hundreds, and ex- 
horted them to ^'flee the fire of hell, which was a thou- 
sand times worse than this on which they were looking.'' 

I am indebted to him for all the good I may ever do 
by printing and distributing tracts; it was through him, 
as an instrument, that I first saw the good possible to be 
accomplished by scattering tracts. ^^ Bread upon the 
waters to be gathered after many days." Not being 
able to buy as many as I wanted, I bought an outfit to 
print for myself and give to others at a low price. May 
God ever bless the life-work of the dear man. 

I knew that he was on the decline, but did not expect 
the end to come so soon. He went with me to assist 
Brother E. M. Stanton on the Dalton Circuit, 1890, and 
while there I first realized how weak he was. He would 



204 Life of S. Millek Willis. 

walk two hundred yards from his boarding house to the 
arbor where we held meetings, and would take hold in 
the altar service with all his might and work as of yore^ 
but before the service was over often he would have to 
retire, and maybe not be able to attend again that day. 
I had hoped that rest would restore in a measure at 
least his strength. He was one man who was literally 
worn out in the Lord's work. He told me since he had 
started out to work for the Lord he had not made a 
dollar, with one exception. While on a stay in Charles- 
ton, some religious paper or magazine wanted him to 
collect for them, and he did enough at that to make a 
few dollars, and only did that to have a chance to get 
into homes and talk to them of salvation. He told me 
while with me that when he started from iVugusta some 
brother there gave him $15 and another $25, and later 
in the day another gave him some amount, I forget just 
what, but he for once put $25 in the bank. [I made the 
deposit myself for him. — Ed.] "I am not sure,'' said 
he, ^^but I have done wrong, for God gave it to me for 
His work, and I laid it up. He does not want me to 
lay up anything, and I think I shall send and get it and 
put it out to interest, so He will not accuse me of bury- 
ing my Lord's money." I guess he did so. He was 
not a spendthrift, but was careful and quite economical. 
While with me I noticed often when he was in the act 
of kneeling down he would twist his pants legs a little 
to one side or the other at the knee. Said I, "Brother 
Willis, why do you thus twist your pants?" "Oh,'^ 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 205 

said he, "I always wear a hole first in the knee, and I 
am trying to avoid it in these !'^ 

I never saw^ him eat a meal without first kneeling and 
asking God's blessing, and often when called on to ask a 
blessing would repeat some verse of Scripture, and if 
not called on would say something anyway. At the 
conclusion of the meal, dinner for instance, he would 
say, ^^ Thank God, we have eaten our dinner and are 
still alive, bless His holy name.'' 

I asked him why he took up this habit. Said he, '^ I 
have been more or less associated with the Salvation 
Army, and I saw they did so, and was impressed with 
the idea, and it grew on me. The devil flouted me with 
it and said, ' You would be odd and people would re- 
mark about it, and then you could as well say what you 
had to say sitting and silent.' I had to get the victory 
over satan, and could not allow a Salvation soldier 1o be 
more humble than I, for I loved Jesus as well as he, 
and w^as as thankful as he, and would do as much to 
express it. Furthermore, it caused the Salvation sol- 
diers to be persecuted." While he was not courting 
persecution, he knew there was something in it if it 
made the devil mad. Said he thought often it gave a 
more serious direction to the conversation during the 
meal than otherwise would have been, and he felt he was 
honoring God by so doing, for the grace is too often said 
more for form than for anything else. 

He was rigid in his observance of the Sabbath day, 
and often he would take a two mile walk in his feeble 



206 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

health to get to church rather than ride on the street 
cars. He would yell at the top of his voice at the driver 
as he would pass to '^ Remember the Sabbath day to 
keep it holy.^^ If he could get close to a car on a 
switch he would give the passengers an exhortation, tell- 
ing them they were forcing men to stay away from God's 
house to accommodate them; that the drivers wanted to 
go to church as bad as they, but had to drive for their 
accommodation. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 207 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



Letter from Rev. T. B. Reynolds, of the Flor- 
ida Conference, M. E. Church, South. 

Welborn, Fla., Aug. 6, 1891. 
Rev. W. C. Diuilap, Augusta, Ga.: 

Dear Bro. — I have just been reading this morning 
in the Way of Life, of the death and burial, etc., of that 
precious man of God, Miller Willis. I would read 
awhile and cry awhile. I considered him one of the 
best men I ever met. I am like Bro. Cary, I don^t 
think any one could be with him long without being 
blessed spiritually. 

I see that some one will write his life, and that the 
papers are to be sent to you. Will you write it? or if 
you don't, R. W. Bigham would give us a good thing, 
if he will take hold of it. 

Some things in regard to our Brother that I would 
not like to be lost, and for fear that you might not get 
the information from better hands, I thought I would 
write to you at once. 

If you remember, I was at White Oak the day Brother 
Willis claimed the blessing of sanctification. Before the 
service commenced, we had a grove meeting, and on our 
way back to the church he said to me : "I received some- 
thing at Richmond camp-ground that I thought was this 



208 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

blessing, but Captain Farris told me I had better mind 
how I claimed that blessing, for it was high grounds; so 
I began to doubt, and lost it.'^ I told him that he would 
have to claim it by faith. I then quoted Rom. vi: 11: 
^^ Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed 
unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our 
Lord.'^ He said: ^^ Why did you not tell me this soon- 



er Y 



9;? 



We went on into the house, and you said, ^^ Brethren, 
pray for the Holy Spirit,^^ and called on me to pray, and 
I prayed in my usual stammering, weak way; you 
preached, and at the close of the services Brother Willis 
got up and said: ^^I am going to say something that no 
human being ever heard me say before. I have received 
the blessing of sanctification.^' I remember it distinctly. 
No w^onder you felt the need of the Holy Spirit when it 
was going to lead to such important results. 

Rev. E. M. Whiting, of the South Ga. Conference, 
was talking with me one day about Bro. W.; he said, 
^^His words seem to have more force to me than any 
man's I ever heard.'' I was going from White Oak 
camp-ground, quite a company of us had gone to Thom- 
son to take the train, and while standing at the depot, 
Bro. Willis walked up into the crowd and raising his 
hands, said: /^Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for 
He shall save His people from their sins." I had heard 
the Scripture often before, and had often read it, but I 
never saw so much meaning in it before, it seemed to go 
through and through me. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 209 

Soon after the report was circulated in the Charleston 
papers that he was dead, (this was fifteen years before 
he died) we were attending a meeting in Augusta, Ga., 
at St. James, and he said to me: '^I want you to go 
with me this afternoon up to Harrisburg; I started a 
Sunday-school up there before I went off to Charles- 
ton, and I want to go up and see how they are get- 
ting on.'' I told him I would go with him. Di- 
rectly after we started he proposed that we go up Ellis 
street, which led us by the livery stables. I soon found 
he wanted to get to speak to some of those wicked men 
about their souls. When they saw him I think they 
tried to get the start of him by asking him questions, 
and talking so fast that he could not say anything to 
them; they began thus: "Hey, Miller, we heard you 
was dead;'' to which he replied, "No, sir, I am not 
dead." "Well, Miller, now if you had your way, hadn't 
you rather be dead; you know you would be better off; 
hadn't you rather be in heaven than here; now, really, 
don't you wash you had died." He stood leaning on his 
staff, looking at the ground, with his head turned slightly 
to one side and in deep study for a short while, when he 
raised his head and looking at the stable-man, he said, 
" Sir, if the Lord were to place my destiny in my hands, 
I would hand it right back to him, for fear I would 
make a mistake." 

My Brother, some call him crazy, but could a philoso- 
pher have given a better answer, if he had been given 
hours to prepare it? I trow not. I have thought of that 

14 



210 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

answer many, many times, and that this is the conclusion 
of the matter : My destiny is in the very best hands 
that it is possible to place it, hence it would be folly to 
take it out. Soon after we had passed the stables I pro- 
posed that we take the street car, as the weather was very 
warm and he a cripple. He confessed that he was tired 
and feeble, but said, "I have been fighting the running 
of the street cars on Sunday, and now for me to patron- 
ize them would be inconsistent.'' What a rebuke and 
lesson to me! We walked on up there and found Bro. 
Tom Gibson conducting a Sunday-school, in a school 
building (I think) near where St. Luke's church now 
stands. If we had an omnicient eye to look into the 
matter, would we not see that Miller Willis helped lay 
a very important stone in the foundation of St. Luke's 
church, as well as many others? Yes, for he was a 
power for good wherever he went. He once told me 
of a circumstance that occurred in his boyhood days, 
which shows the faith he had in the efficacy of prayer, 
even before he was converted. He said, '^ When I was a 
boy I took great "delight in teasing drunken men; one 
day I saw a man staggering along the street, I slipped 
up behind him and caught him by the coat-tail and 
ginned him around two or three times, and when I turned 
him loose he fell some distance, with his head doubled 
up under him, and there he lay motionless; I thought 
his neck was broken ; I ran home and went tip stairs, by 
the side of my bed; I fell down on my knees and begged 
the Lord not to let that man die, for my mother had 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 211 

often said to me, Miller, you can come home dead but 
don^t come home and tell me you have killed any one/' 
Several other things that present themselves to my 
mind, but they are of minor importance, and for fear I 
may prove tedious, I will close by asking, whom will his 
mantle fall on? 



212 Life of S. Miller Willis. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



Lettee feom R. K. Moseley to the Editor. 

Seward, Ga., Sept. 19th, 1891. 
Rev. W. C. Dunlap: — I see in the Wesley an that 
you are to write the life of our dear deceased brother, 
Miller Willis. I have often thought, since his death, 
surely some one will write his life; and oh, how I long 
to see it. It was my good fortune to meet and be with 
him at two or three camp-meetings in the North Georgia 
Conference, and I know he was the most Christ-like 
man I ever met. Some called him a crank; I would to 
God that this old world were filled with such as he; it 
would be Heaven enough for me. Let the people call 
him what they will — if he were a crank, then Heaven is 
full of cranks. I shall never forget his greetings; was 
it good morning, good evening, or howdy, as is the cus- 
tom of the day? Xo, no; he had no respect for the cus- 
toms of this world where souls were at stake. He had 
three sorts of salutations, formulated into questions: 1. 
If a stranger, " How is your soul ? " or if an acquaintance, 
and he knew you professed conversion and sanctification, 
still it was, "How is your soul to-day? ^^ 2. "Have you 
been converted ?^^ 3. "Have you been sanctified?" 
Whatever the answer might be to those questions, his 
answer was invariably the same: "Well, praise the 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 213 

Lord!" This was accompanied by the throwing back his 
head, with his eyes uplifted to Heaven, and the raising 
of his hand in that way peculiar to himself. I remember 
once at Pleasant Grove camp-meeting that some one 
came in and announced that Brother Parks, the Presid- 
ing Elder, was sick and could not attend the meeting. 
Brother Willis cried out: "Well, praise the Lord!" I 
have seen young men run from him; he would seem to 
take no notice of them for the moment, even walking 
the other way, but ere they were aware of it he would 
be right among them, when they would find it impossi- 
ble to escape without answering his pointed questions 
about their souls. I have watched the columns of the 
Wesleyan Christian Advocate since his death, and have 
read with profound interest some sketches and incidents 
of his life by Revs. C. C. Gary, George AV. Yarbrough, 
and R. W. Bigham, and it did my very soul good to 
read the testimony of such men to the character and use- 
fulness of our sainted brother. I do praise God that it 
was my privilege to meet and be with such a man. While 
he basks in the smiles of his Redeemer, his work goes 
on down here. 

Oh, for plenty such as he, and soon the strongholds of 
sin and satan will be torn down, and the kingdom of 
Heaven built in their stead. Trusting that the Lord 
will sanctify his life to the conversion of thousands of 
sinners, as also to the sanctification of believers, I am 

Your brother in Christ's love, R. K. Moseley. 



214 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

The following tribute is from the pen of Rev. James 
L. Ivey, local preacher and pastor in the North Georgia 
Conference : 

S. Miller Willis. 

The first time I heard of him was in 1875. Rev. W. 
W. W — th said in a sermon that " Brother Willis was 
like a bombshell with a short fuse easy to light, ready to 
burst in the midst of a crowd/ and bound to hit some- 
body.^' 

So I found him in Sparta, Ga., during the session of 
the annual conference in the winter of 1876. Rev. J. 
A. Reynolds preached, Rev. H. C. Christian concluded, 
and in the midst of the meeting Brother Willis came to 
me and inquired if I was converted; I replied that I 
was. I thought he would rejoice to hear my answer, 
but he seemed to take it as a matter of course, and turn- 
ing to a crowd of people in the little chapel, exclaimed, 
" well then, why don't you get to work to have some- 
body else converted?'' He at once passed on and 
seemed to have selected the hardest case in the house, 
and soon had him down on his knees crying to God for 
mercy. 

The fact that our sainted brother approached all classes 
of men in his appeals and warnings does not prove that 
he was fool-hardy and recklessly bold, for he said some- 
times for fear he would be frowned out of countenance 
and lose courage when ready to speak to the haughty, 
he would shut his eyes when he began the conversation* 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 215 

At Norwood a brother said to him during a protracted 
meeting, " I have always wanted to pray all night, but 
no one would join me/' Brother Willis said, " I will 
spend the night in prayer with you." And notwith- 
standing his poor health, he and this brother wrestled in 
prayer to God until both were about exhausted, and the 
dawning of the morning was near. 

The last time I met him was at a holiness convention. 
His health was such that* he could not attend all the ser- 
vices. We heard of a young minister that had quit our 
church, and was in league with an unscriptural sect, and 
he wanted to pay him a visit. When we reached this 
brother's place of business, he was sent for and made his 
appearance. Brother Willis plead with him to sever his 
connection with that party and return once more to our 
beloved church. We had about eight prayers in all 
over the matter. Brother Willis, with pale, upturned 
face and his eyes fixed upon the ceiling, was a correct 
picture of grief, as he in piteous tones continued to 
beseech the brother. '^Come back! come back! dear 
brother, or you will be ruined. Little ^B. C.'s' name 
has been a household w^ord all over Georgia." This 
young minister afterwards saw his error and returned. 
Who knows but in answer to the fervent prayers of the 
holy man of God? 

Some of the scripture texts and religious mottoes are 
kept as mementoes from this good man. The writer 
found one pinned to the cloth that covered the pulpit 
board in a rural log church in one of the dark'places of 



216 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

Georgia. Our brother, in some respects, resembled John 
the Baptist as a forerunner, preparing the way for the 
coming of his Lord to the hearts of many, long bolted 
by sin. Like a clap of thunder and a bolt from a clear 
sky, he would often startle a multitude with his Heaven- 
heated shot — arouse them from their lethargy and cause 
them to think as never before. 

Truly a prophet has been among us, and his mission 
was accomplished in our midst. 

But his work is over here — not only done, but well 
done. He has received a prophet's reward, and has 
entered into his Master's joy. 

May his mantle fall on some one who is worthy to 
receive it, that the work of warning may continue until 
the Lord shall wake a sleeping world. 

" Green grow the turf above thee, 
Brother of our better days ; 
Few knew thee but to love thee, 
Or named thee but to praise." 

James L. Ivey. 
Bremen, Ga., Sept. 23, 1891. 



Letter from Dr. H. Y. Hardwick. 

CoNYERS, April 30, 1892. 
Dear Bro. Dunlap : — I write you a few items in 
the life of our sainted brother Miller Willis that may 
serve as pointers to the spirit that controlled and led 
this humble yet wonderful man of God. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 217 

I first met him at a country churcli, where I had 
driven several miles to meet you, as you will remember, 
to prevent, if I could, your taking him with you to the 
church of my membership, where you were soon to begin 
a protracted meeting, believing, from what I had heard, 
that Brother Willis would hinder rather than help the 
meeting. I found you and Brother Willis alone when 
I drove up. You introduced us and excused yourself 
leaving us together. I had understood that Brother 
Willis would not talk of anything but salvation, but to 
my surprise he entered at once into a very pleasant con- 
versation, referring to having seen me on a former occa- 
sion at a crowded church ; he spoke of the uncomforta- 
ble seats, poor ventilation, sultry weather and suffocating 
audience. He then branched off on the lack of proper 
architectural skill in church edifices, and especially coun- 
try churches, where comfort and convenience and proper 
ventilation were greatly neglected. I soon found that he 
could not only talk about matters of general interest, but 
that he was a man ol fine sense. After talking awhile 
he turned to me and again extending his hand said, 
^^ Brother, how is it with your soul V^ I said, ^^ All 
right.'' ^^ Praise the Lord," said he. ^^Do you love 
God with all your heart?" I said, ^'I hope so." "You 
must know so, and may the Lord give you the blessing 
of perfect love." My heart was touched. He rode 
home with me from church, and before I had reached 
my front gate he had won my heart — his meekness, sim- 
plicity, gentle manners, loving words and sweet spirit. 



218 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

all combined to convince me that he was enjoying a 
Christian experience that rose above my own ; that hi& 
life bore a likeness and a relationship to Christ that I 
had not realized, and my heart began to reach out for 
the something better and grow hungry for sweeter food. 
That very night, God, for Christ^s sake, let into my 
heart the white light of divine truth and showed me for 
the first time my depravity, inbred sin. Oh ! how every 
fiber of body shook and trembled as I looked at my in- 
heritance. The old Adam in my heart. None but the 
sanctified can understand this fearful revelation and the 
earnestness of my prayer for cleansing. Brother Willis 
was by me in this hour of crucifixion, praying, teach- 
ing, helping, and when the cleansing power came joined 
in the hallelujah that echoed back from glory. From 
that happy hour I was with him much for a time, and 
frequently in after years. He spent some weeks in my 
home, and every day was fruitful of blessings to me and 
my family. 

His consecration was so thorough, his faith so perfect 
and his salvation so full, that he seemed to hold constant 
communion with God. Yes, it may be said truthfully,, 
he w^alked wath Christ. I have always associated him 
with the disciple whom Christ loved, St. John, and have 
no doubt that much that he said w^as inspired. I saw 
him approach a prominent lawyer friend of mine on the 
train — he was a stranger to Brother Willis — and ask 
him: ^^Are you a Christian ?'' His answer was, ^^I 
hardly know.'' ''Then,'' said Brother Willis, ''hear 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 219 

what God says about it: 'I would that you were either 
hot or cold, but since ye are neither hot nor cold, I will 
spew thee out of my mouth/ ^^ then handing him a tract 
he left him. I saw that his words had reached the law- 
yer's heart. 

I was walking with him on one occasion along Mari- 
etta street, Atlanta, Ga., when turning suddenly aside 
he confronted two men who were engaged in conversa- 
tion. Extending his hand to them, he said: ^'What 
would become of you if you were to die right now?'^ One 
of them said: "We would go to the spirit world." "To 
what church do you belong?'' asked Willis. "We are 
Spiritualists," one of them answerd. " I knew," said 
Willis, "the moment my eyes fell on you, that you were 
deceived by the devil." The other gentleman turned to 
me and asked: "When did he lose his mind?" Brother 
Willis heard him, and turning to him quickly, answered: 
"Twenty-four years ago, and got the mind of Christ — 
when did you lose yours?" The man was dumb. Then 
shaking hands with them and expressing his love for 
them, asked the Lord to save them and passed on, leav- 
ing them in fine humor, and no doubt wondering what 
manner of man he was. 

At another time we were riding along and were passing 
a crowd of convicts in stripes and chains, at work on the 
street. As we reached the midst of them. Miller Willis 
shouted to them: "In chains here, how will it be with 
you hereafter?" Every man dropped his pick and shovel 



220 Life of S. Millee Willis. 

and gazed in silent astonishment at him. While all eyes 
were bent on him, he lifted his hand above his head and 
shouted again: ^^A great many of us who have them not 
on our legs, have them on our hearts, and if our hearts 
were exposed we would have them on our legs.'^ 

I was attending a certain holiness convention, and 
heard one morniug that Brother Willis was in his room 
sick. Brother C. and I went over to see him. We 
found him up and in the front veranda. The hour for 
morning service was near at hand, and we soon left. 
After we had passed out the front gate and started down 
the street, Brother Willis called to us and came hurriedly 
out and said: "Brethren, I am afraid we have done 
wrong. Come back and let's have prayer with Brother 
S. before you go.'' We went back. He called Brother 
S. and told him we wanted to pray with him. Brother 
S. led us into the parlor and knelt by a sofa. Brother 
Willis knelt by his side and began to talk and pray that 
Brother S. might receive the blessing of entire sanctifi- 
cation. I noticed a son of Brother S. standing in the 
hall, and beckoned him in. He knelt for prayer and 
was converted; and then Sister S. came in and knelt; 
then another son came in and he, too, was converted. 
The Holy Ghost came upon Brother S. and his wife and 
all present, filling the room like unto Pentecost. 

I could relate many other like facts and instances that 
came under my observation, but these will suffice to 
indicate in some degree the life and character of this the 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 221 

greatest, purest, best mau I ever knew. Great in good- 
ness, grand in purity, noble in fidelity, lofty in humility, 
he laid down a robe of righteousness to put on a crown 
of glory. H. V. Hardwick. 



222 Life of S. Miller Willis. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



X/ETTER TO THE EdITOR FROM BROTHER SaM HuN- 

TER, OF Athens, Ga. 

Rev, W. C. Dunlap: 

My Precious and Beloved Brother: — You ask 
me to write what I know of the life of Miller Willis. I 
feel that this would be to attempt an impossibility, for 
no mortal man can express, no pen can describe what I 
saw, heard, felt and received from the walk and conver- 
sation of this godly man. Though he be dead, yet he 
speaketh. God bless his memory. 

I first learned of him through a conversation which I 
had with Dr. R. W. Bigham, during the first year of his 
Presiding Eldership at Athens, Ga. He had spoken of 
the Bible Christian, or the man who walks with God, 
living a holy life, when I said, ^^ Where is your man?^^ 
Brother Bigham replied, '^I know of one man whom I 
Ijelieve comes as near that standard as any man that I 
-ever saw.^' I replied, ^^Send for him and I will pay his 
way and will board him a month. ^^ He came, and no 
one can imagine my experience with him, unless they 
have known him. What a peculiar man he was. The 
first thing he said to me was the question, ^^Have you 
been converted ?^^ I said, '^Yes.^' ^^Well, have you 
^een sanctified?" I replied, "I don't know.'' '^Well 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 223 

— that is one thing I would know like it is in 1st Thess. 
5:23: ^The very God of peace sanctify you wholly; 
and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be 
preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord/^' 

My wife and children, with many others, thought him 
crazy. I thought to myself, "I am in for it, but I in- 
vited him to my house, and I must be gentlemanly. '' 
The first morning, I asked him to ride down town with 
me. Every one we met or passed he would say some- 
thing to, or give them a tract. I felt very much embar- 
rassed when I saw that w^e would meet the wife and 

daughter of Col. , who were approaching in a 

carriage. I said, ^^That is the family of Col. ; 

they are ^bon-tons,' don^t say anything to them.^' When 
just opposite the carriage, he cried out in his peculiarly 
shrill voice, " What will it profit a man if he gain the 
whole world, and lose his own soul." 

When we reached my office, I said, " Will you go up 
into my office?'' He said, ^'No, I believe I will walk 
around and speak a word for Jesus, and drop some of 
these seeds.'' He had a bundle of tracts in his hcnd, 
and had his long walking stick. He also had with him 
an old army knapsack made of oil-cloth, which was filled 
with books and tracts. Among the books was his old, 
well-worn Bible, and a copy of the Christian's Secret of 
a Happy Life. He spoke a word or gave a tract to each 
one he met. Looking up, as he was passing along a 
side street, he saw a sign with the word ^^ Exchange," 
and cried out with a loud voice, ^^what will a man give 



224 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

in exchange for his soul.^^ The bar-keeper, who was a 
desperate man, and had been known to kick out of his 
office men who displeased him, called to him, "Hello, 
when did you get out of the asylum ?^^ Miller Willis, 
taking no notice of the remark, said, "Is this the place 
where men exchange their souls for whiskey ?^^ The 
bar-keeper stepped to the sidewalk, and taking him by 
the arm, said, "Come in and get a drink/^ Going inside 
he found a number of young men, some playing billiards, 
and others drinking at the bar, to each of whom he gave 
a tract, and cried out, "There is a young man in this 
awful place that has a mother in heaven, and he prom- 
ised to meet her there. '^ Here the bar-keeper interposed, 
by saying, "Look here, we have had enough of your 
nonsense, get out.^^ "Well,^' said Miller, "let us have 
a word of prayer before I go,^' and dropping upon his 
knees, he offered a prayer for the bar-keeper and his 
customers, such as has rarely ever been heard. The 
shot went to the mark. A young man followed him out 
to the side- walk and said, "Who told you?^' and he 
broke down and began weeping. A few nights after- 
wards he went to church, and as Miller expressed it, 
"He was sky-blue converted." 

The people were soon guying me for having a crazy 
man as my guest. I said, " All right, some have enter- 
tained angels unawares. He is at my house, and it is 
nobody\s business." I spoke better than I knew, for it 
proved to be better than an angePs visit to me. 

Returning home, my wife, seeing that I was perplexed. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 225 

inquired: "How do you like your visitor ?^^ I replied, 
'^ I have drawn an elephant and do not know what to do 
with him.'^ 

I went with him to Church, and how he did disturb 
those quiet, highly refined church members, by calling 
out, "Amen, have faith in God — who is believing ?^^ 
He would say, "Bless the Lord," and clap his hands as 
no other man could, until they would pop like a whip. 
The preacher said, "He may do good in the country, or 

at some other place, but it will not do at ^The 

Church.'" They did not exactly put him out of the 
synagogue, but it amounted to almost the same thing. 

The preacher in charge of church said, "Bring 

.him here and I will turn him loose." What a revival 
we had. Hallelujah ! Seventy-five to a hundred were 
converted. Many still stand up and say, "That man 
whom they said was crazy, came along and spoke to me 
about my soul, and gave me a tract, and it led me to 
Christ." 

Afterwards I went out to the Athens circuit to see 
more of this man who had stirred up the people like 
Paul and Silas. I found a large crowd who had been 
attracted by this wonderful man. People flocked to the 
altar like doves to the windows, but Miller said that 
there must be something wrong with the church or else 
sinners would be converted. He would cry out, "O for 
faith in God?" "When we get the kind of heart and 
spirit that David sought and obtained, according to the 
51st Psalm, 7th to 10th verse, then sinners will be con- 

15 



226 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

verted/' He would say things that would make persons 
say, ^^ Somebody has been telling him.'' He must have 
been led by the Spirit of God. He had the gift of spir- 
itual discernment in a remarkable degree. He said, 
"There is division and strife among you." Then breth- 
ren that had been at enmity began to make friends, old 
feuds were settled, the church began to seek such a heart 
and spirit as David prayed for, and sinners were con- 
verted by the score. At a grove prayer-meeting Miller 
fell down, with his face buried in his hands, and cried 
out, "Lord, convert a soul now. I will never rise until 
a soul is converted." I shall never forget my feelings. 
It made me shudder to hear him say that he would never 
arise until a soul was converted, but immediately a young 
man cried out, "O, it is so simple; John can't you see 
it?" and in a moment his friend responded, "Glory to 
God," and five or six were converted in a very short 
time, and we went to the church shouting and praising 
God. There was no need of preaching that night. It 
was a time of salvation. The revival spread all over 
the circuit. 

As the time for the meeting of District Conference 
was near at hand, some of the preachers said that it 
would not do for Brother Willis to go to that meeting. 
They said that he would disturb the people. I said, 
"He claims to be led by the Spirit of God, and if this is 
true, I will not fight against God." Miller, not know- 
ing anything of this, said, "Well, by the blessing of 
God, if the way opens up, I will go to to the 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 227 

District Conference, and if we will have faith in God, 
we can take that town for Jesus.'' Continuing, he said, 
"When I was there several years ago, they almost ran 
me out of town. A young man cursed me, and he was 
soon taken very sick, and sent for me, saying, ^I want 
to beg your pardon for what I said to you.' I replied, 
^Beg God's pardon,' and I knelt to pray with him, but 
the young man said it was too late, and he died without 
hope." 

As we started to , and had gone but two or 

three miles from Athens, a black, threatening cloud 
appeared in the direction that we were going, and I 
suggested that we had better turn back. Miller replied, 
"No; when you put your hand to the plow, never look 
back. Elijah was a man of like passions as we are, and 
he prayed that it might not rain, and it did not. Let 
us pray that the cloud go around us." I said, " Well, 
you pray, and I will see what will come of your faith." 
We passed on and the cloud went behind us, and we 
could see as hard a rain as ever I saw, falling within 
sight of us. Further on I saw another cloud, accom- 
panied with thunder and lightning, and it rained in 
front of us, but where we were it was dry. As we 
passed on we soon came to where the water was standing 
in the road. 

When we arrived at , Miller, with his long 

walking stick in hand, and with his tracts, w^ent forth to 
sow by the wayside. He at once announced that a street 
meeting would be held on the public square. Some 



228 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

smiled, and others gave looks of diapproval. Some said 
that it would not do. Miller tried to get help to hold 
the meeting, and some promised to help him, but when 
five o^clock, the hour appointed for the meeting, came, 
some were sick, (?), some had gone to the mill-pond to 
bathe, and others forgot it (?) until it was too late, but 
Miller was there, and so was your humble servant. 
Miller began by crying out ^^ Ho, every one that thirst- 
eth, come ye to the waters,'^ etc. Doctors and lawyers, 
as well as the street loafers and drunkards, came out to 
see, they knew not what, but they saw a man full of 
faith, and of the Holy Ghost. Miller related his religious 
experience, and then told them that Jesus came to save 

the worst man in . 

It then came my turn to speak to the crowd, and 
pointing to a dilapidated little wooden house down in 
the hollow, I said, ^' I took my first drink there. The 
man that sold it to me is dead and gone." I told them 
the awful tale of a misspent life, but I said, '^ God has 
saved me from a drunkard\s grave and a drunkard's 
hell." Then I plead with them, ^^ O, my friends, will 
you go on and lose your souls in the end ?" I assured 
them that God would accept what was left of a life that 
thus far had been misspent. At the close of the meeting 
almost every man that was present came forward and 
gave Miller his hand, pledging himself to be a better 
man, and come to church. A great revival followed. 
It was said that all but four or five adult persons in the 
town joined the church. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 229 

Miller Willis took a deep interest in my welfare. He 
prayed for me, and helped me to give up my old habits 
and my old associates. Once when he came to my house 
and inquired for me, my wife, who knew better than 
any one else what it implied, said, " Brother Willis, I 
am sorry to say it, but he has gone fox hunting." She 
says that she never heard such a prayer as he offered for 
me, and that she knew that God would answer that 
prayer — and He did, for I have never gone since. Sev- 
eral times I tried, but God interfered in some way. Once 
when I was preparing to go, the feeling came over me 
that I might be killed in the hunt, and remembering 
Brother Willis' prayer, I gave up going, and finally 
becoming convinced that God would answer the prayer 
at any cost, I gave away my dogs, and gave up my 
last and most cherished sport — but, glory be to God, I 
found something better. 

Several times after he had come to be almost as one of 
the family, he would be in some distant place and have 
an impression that I was overtaken in a fault or had 
backslidden, and he would write or come to me at once. 
At one time I thought I would not tell him that I had 
lost the witness of my sanctifi cation, and I tried to ap- 
pear cheerful, but he continued to question me, and 
finally said, ^'Brother Hunter, you do not ring right; I 
want to hear you pray like you did once.'' I said, 
" Well, God has told you all about it, we will go up 
stairs and tarry until the Holy Ghost comes and sits as 
a refiner's fire and makes me ring right." 



230 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

A certain brother who took a very active part in 
church work, wanted to get license to preach. Miller 
went home with him and stayed all night. I asked him 
afterwards, " What do you think of him?'^ He replied, " I 
will tell you how it is. His wife is a one thousand 
dollar woman tied to a five cent man.'^ His estimate 
proved to be correct. 

He lived by faith. When he needed anything he 
would ask God. At one time he wanted to go from 
Athens to Charleston, and after counting his money he 
found that he lacked $2.50. He prayed, asking the 
Lord to help him, and then packed his valise and started 

to the train. On his way he met Col. , a banker, 

who said to him, ^^ My friend, I thought you might be 
in need of some money, will you accept this V^ It was 
the exact amount he needed to take him to Charleston. 

He never asked any one for anything, and if more 
was given him than he had immediate need of, he would 
give it away, or spend it for some good books, or for 
tracts for distribution. 

Men who thought when he first came to Athens, that 
he ought to be sent to the insane asylum, soon found 
that he was wise in the things of God, and were glad to 
invite him to their homes and to ask him to pray for 
themselves and for their families. There are hundreds 
of men and women in the land who have it to say, "Mil- 
ler Willis said something to me which awakened me, 
and brought me to Christ.'^ 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 231 

Once while he was at ray house he had a hemorrhaga 
from the lungs, and I thought he was gone, but he reviv- 
ed, whispering ^' Amen, if God has more use for me in 
heaven than on earth. Amen — Glory to Jesus." 

It is hard now^ for me to feel that he is dead. He is 
not dead; he has entered into life. As he passed away I 
lost a precious friend on earth ; was made poorer, but heav- 
en richer. S. M. Hunter. 

Here is the last letter he ever wrote Brother Hunter: 

" Have faith in God, Mark xi : 22, 23, 24 ; praise God ! 
January 10th, 1891. Did you hear that, beloved? and 
what is the best thing you have to say of Jesus this 
morning? I say, ^ Truly God is good to Israel, even to 
such as are of a clean heart.' 

^'Oh, hallelujah to God! Brother Hunter! I don't 
know where to begin nor where to end, for surely Psalm 
23: ^The Lord is my shepherd and I shall not want. 
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth 
me beside the still waters.' 

^^I have never been out to but one meeting since I have 
been here at Duke, but my faith is, ^ I shall not die, but 
live and preach the gospel.^ 

"Does Pierce still pray for me ? Tell Scott I want her 
to be mighty smart, if I live to get back to Athens. 

"Brother Hunter, can you say to-day, as you told me 
when I left — * Brother Willis, my heart is just right, and 



232 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

I am wrapped up in the thirteenth chapter of first Corin- 

, 1st Thess. V : 23, 
S. Miller Willis/' 



thians?' Your less than the least, 1st Thess. v: 23, 



INSCRIBED TO MILLER WILLIS BY ONE WHO LOVED HIM. 

The blessed Word of God assures us that ^^ The right- 
eous shall be in everlasting remembrance. '^ 

Thus their acts, words and spirit remain as precious 
legacies to their friends and the world. 

Such was our dear departed brother. Many will, in 
the eternal day, rise up and call him blessed. His 
work on earth was accompanied by the Divine Spirit, 
and he was the honored instrument of leading many to 
the Cross of Christ. He resorted to many methods to 
lead his fellow-men to Jesus. 

"And as a bird each fond endearment tries, 
To tempt its new-fledged offspring to the skies, 
He tried each art, reproved each dull delay. 
Allured to brighter worlds and led the way." 

He is one of the characters that stand upon the plains 
of history; against time past as a background, they 
seem like silver shafts of beauty — land-marks by which 
spiritual mariners may steer in the voyage of life, each a 
Pharos on the jutting headlands of truth. Miller 
Willis was the most untiring, persevering, and laborious 
Christian I ever knew. The seed he scattered are grow- 
ing to-day in many hearts and lives, and are kept fresh 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 233 

by waterings from the same fountain at which he ob- 
tained his supply. Many will shine as stars in the 
crown of his rejoicing forever! 

*' After years of earnest battle, 

Throbbing nerve and heart and soul, 
In the midst of life's wild rattle, 
July fifteen God called his roll. 
Miller Willis grandly answered, 
Standing out among the blest: 
'I was fighting for the Master — 
Now I'm ready for my rest.' " 



234 Life of S. Miller Willis. 



CHAPTEK XXII. 



From Egbert M. Adam, His Brother-in-Law. 

He was converted to God in 1864, after a long strug- 
gle aad thorough sifting; the question being squarely 
put as to his willingness to be called crazy or a fool for 
Christ's sake. He was first aroused to a sense of his 
peril at the second battle of Manasses, Virginia, but for- 
got it, and on bis return home he attended a meeting, 
then being conducted in old St. John church, Augusta, 
Ga., by the pastor. Rev. George G. N. McDonald. On 
hearing the preacher quote Psalm 1: 14: ^^Pay thy 
vows,'' Miller said it seemed to him it was specially 
intended for him, and particularly so when he asked if 
there were not some in the congregation who had vowed 
to God on battlefields and had failed to perform them. 
He was thoroughly aroused, and struggled for days 
through repentance, as one sin after another was brought 
to his attention, and the final test was made when he was 
confronted with a full surrender to be called a fool or 
crazy for Christ's sake. On visiting a relative in the 
neighborhood one evening, as he was returning home, 
he resolved on reaching there to go behind the stable, 
Avhich stood near the line fence between the adjoining 
lots, with space enough to admit one person, and there 
remain until he should be blessed or die. When he 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 235 

reached the sidewalk, and near an old mulberry tree, 
he received the witness of his acceptance with God 
and went running home to tell his mother the good news. 
^Twas then about 10 o'clock, and he went about the 
neighborhood knocking up the neighbors, telling them 
of his conversion. He slept very little that night, and 
the next day he published the news all over the city. 
Very few believed him, and thought he was playing 
off. Finally it was thought that it was simply excite- 
ment occasioned by the revival meeting, and would soon 
wear off. Some predicted it would last a week, month, 
etc., and finally some thought him crazy, and it was 
freely talked over the city. It came to his ears, and he 
forgot his promise to God to be willing to be called crazy 
and so allowed his zeal to flag, and hence lost the joy of 
salvation. Becoming concerned about his condition, he 
sought the counsel of Brother James E. Evans, who 
diagnosed his case, and asked him if he obeyed the 
leading of the Spirit when directed to talk to people 
about the salvation of their souls? He said, ^^Yes, I 
know now what's the matter,'' and resolved to be 
faithful even at the cost of being called crazy; we all 
know how truly he kept that vow. 

At the close of the war he engaged in the grain busi- 
ness with Mr. John Keener, in Augusta. He continued 
about one year ; afterward he kept a wood yard for a year 
or two. He then gave up business in the main, helping 
me in mine, as it suited him, I having married his sister 
in 1866, and he having come to live with us. His 



236 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

time even then was wholly given up to Christian work^ 
he doing all he could to extend his Redeemer's king- 
dom by holding prayer-meetings in different parts of the 
city. In 1867, I was converted and early joined him in 
the good work. He was often called to visit the sick 
and administer to the dying. In 1874, when I removed 
with my family to Charleston, S. C, the Y. M. C. A. of 
Augusta offered him a salary to remain and continue in 
the work. This he did for a time, but it was not to his- 
liking. Miller Willis was thoroughly Arminian. As 
every one knows, the Y. M. C. A. is a mixture of all 
denominations. While he had great love and respect 
for these brethren individually, and rejoiced in all the 
good done by them in their non-denominational work, 
yet, for him, there ^vas only one course to pursue, and 
that was to put the truth straight as he believed it^ 
at all times and everywhere. From this time he 
gave himself in all his work to the promOlgation 
of radical Christianity in accordance with what he be- 
lieved to be the teachings of the scriptures and the 
Methodist Church. At our earnest entreaty he came to 
Charleston and made his home with us for several years, 
except as he made occasional visits back to Georgia to 
help ministers, who would write for him, in revival 
labors. He contracted the habit of chewing and smok- 
ing when a boy, and became a most inveterate user of 
the Aveed, often smoking and chewing at the same time. 
He quit chewing, after a hard struggle, in 1868-9, and 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 237 

Jater on gave up smoking. When resolved on duty he 
never hesitated or drew back. 

During a union revival service, held in Charleston, 
S. C, at a morning meeting, when an opportunity 
was given for experience, a Presbyterian pastor of 
one of the churches arose and told of a young man 
who had been converted the day previous, and said he 
had told him that now he was all right, and that, while 
he might fall away, he would always come back. Being 
present myself, and knowing Miller, I watched him to 
see what he would do. As the Brother made the re- 
mark concerning the final perseverance of his young 
friend, Miller reached forward, and with his hands on 
the pew in front of him, watched the Brother closely, 
and as soon as he started to sit down, Miller pulled him- 
self up quickly, before the Brother had gotten seated, 
and quoted Ezek. 18-24, and sat down. The impression 
was profound. 

In a revival at Trinity church, Charleston, the pastor 
took occasion to say one evening that, in case any one 
desired to see him about their souls, his office hours were 
thus and so, and he would be glad to have them call; 
before he finished the sentence Miller called out, '^Well, 
praise God, the Lord Jesus is in His office all the time; 
youUl have no trouble finding Him." 

When he first went to Charleston, a gentleman of my 
acquaintance stopped me one day on the street and asked 
who my friend was. After having him describe the 
man, I told him he was a friend of mine from Georgia. 



238 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

I inquired why he asked about him. "Well/' he said, 
"is there not something wrong with him?^^ I said I 
didn't think so, and urged him to stop him sometime 
and have a talk with him; but he laughed and declined, 
saying, "Well, he did a very strange thing the other 
day.'' "And what was that?" "Well, he was passing 
the store, it was crowded with customers, he stepped 
into the door and, lifting up his hand, called out in a 
loud voice, "What shall it profit a man if he shall gain 
the whole world, and lose his own soul?" "I am glad 
you remember it, for I have no doubt you have often 
beard it from the pulpit and forgotten it." He was cer- 
tainly the most faithful and fearless witness for God I 
ever knew. On Sunday, when street cars or other vehi- 
cles used for pleasure or business would pass him, he 
would call out, "Eemember the Sabbath day," etc. 

He was called to see a brother in Charleston who had 
met with an accident, and broken his thigh or hip bone, 
and the doctors were setting it. During the operation, 
which was accompanied with excruciating pain. Miller 
sympathized with him so deeply that it seemed to the 
physician who related the circumstance to me, that he 
felt the pain, and would cry out as if enduring the agony 
with and for his friend. Indeed, he seemed to bear it 
for him, without which, the physicians declared, it ap- 
peared impossible for his his friend to have survived 
the painful operation. He was an excellent nurse, and 
could quiet and soothe a nervous person in a most 
remarkable manner. He was particularly expert with 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 239 

children, possessing all the sympathy and tenderness 
of christian womanhood, with a remarkable charm in 
controlling them. 

My mother died when I was five years old; at the 
age of seven I was taken by my elder brother, together 
with a brother eighteen months older than myself, to 
Mr. S. M. Thompson's to board. Mrs. Thompson was 
an aunt of Miller's, so that by this providence I became 
early associated with him; indeed, one might say we 
grew up together. He was about twelve years old when 
I first knew him. He was my senior by a few years, and 
this gave him, naturally, an influence over me; besides he 
rather took us under his protection, and ofttimes saved 
us from the oppression of other boys, and, I am sorry 
to say, taught us much mischief and vice, by precept 
and example. I have never known or heard of worse 
boys than those who lived in Augusta, Ga., at that time, 
and among the "chief of sinners'' was Miller Willis, the 
leader and captain in every daring and desperate under- 
taking, from a pitch battle with rocks and brickbats to 
scaling high walls, or swimming the Savannah river. 
There were no police in the city at that time, and we 
were unrestrained in a great measure. Fighting was an 
every-day and general occurrence among boys, and often 
for very trivial offenses, and sometimes without cause. 
Miller was an aggressive fellow, constantly stirring 
up strife among others, in which he frequently took a 
hand. When he was about 1 felt quite safe from the 
attacks of my enemies, and was often stimulated to attack 



240 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

them, feeling assured of a strong backing and fair play. 
During the summer season, many Augusta boys used to 
cross the river, going to swim at Brooks' millpond, 
about two and a half miles away. Passing through Ham- 
burg, S. C, we were sometimes set upon by boys who 
lived there, ^ye determined to punish them if possible, 
and arranged for a regular pitched battle ; Miller was 
the leader of the Augusta boys. He and his brother, 
Milton, had two goats, a large one that they trained to 
pull, and a smaller one to push a small wagon, and with 
this team, we hauled stones and brickbats for several 
days to the bridge, and when all was in readiness, the 
boys assembled on both sides of the river. There were 
a hundred or more in either party. Arming ourselves 
with stones, we were led across the bridge by our com- 
mander. As soon as we landed on the Carolina side, 
we were vigorously met, and so the fight opened. From 
about three p. m., until after dark, every inch of ground 
was hotly contested. Many boys on both sides were 
.seriously injured. The Augusta boys, led on by the in- 
trepid Miller, were finally victorious. He was the "lion 
of the day.'' He was an athlete and gymnast. He was 
known as the most active boy in the city. An expert 
swimmer, on several occasions, at the peril of his own 
life, he rescued boys from drowning. 

Boys generally were afraid of him and would avoid 
Tiim, if not on intimate terms with him. While he was 
a fighter, and always promoted it among boys, he would 
see fair play and take sides with the weak. Being bold 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 241 

and courageous, even daring, with large combativeness, 
he was an intrepid leader, always found in the forefront. 
We sometimes played ^^ Follow your leader," and he as 
leader would climb up and down dangerous places, one 
of which was the cliffs near Hamburg. They had been 
made very precipitous by the railroad company taking 
earth from the hillsides so that it was nearly forty feet 
high. Buildings in course of construction were favorite 
resorts for this purpose, and we thought little of our 
perilous positions. So the boys followed him into all 
manner of danger and wrong-doing. 

Volumes might be written of his daring exploits, evil 
deeds and pernicious influence, for his presence was an 
evil omen. Often might be heard remarks from negroes 
like this: ''Yonder come dem deblish white boys," and 
they would get out of the way, for they often suffered 
from his practical jokes and rough handling. They 
would sometimes report him to his father who would 
punish him severely, but to no purpose, except it might 
be to nerve him to revenge at the first opportunity. No 
one seemed to feel safe w^hen he and his companions 
were about. 

The object in view in writing particularly of his boy- 
hood and life previous to his conversion, is to bring out 
clearly his aggressive character, which, under God, be- 
came a burning zeal for the salvation of souls, and made 
him the most notable character in this generation, if not 
in this century, within our knowledge, throughout this 
section. For, transformed as he was, from a persecutor 

16 



242 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

and pest, to the converted and sanctified defender and 
promoter of the Faith, he impressed all with his devo- 
tion to God. 

I praise God for the powerful influence he exerted 
over me for good ; the extent of which eternity alone 
will reveal. 

My intimate association with him — having married his 
only sister, and our house being his home up to his 
death — there was no one who knew him so intimately as 
I. Having been converted myself soon after he was, and 
helped by him to a decision of a choice of the Methodist 
church, we were in full sympathy and one in our purpose 
to serve God and make our way to heaven and carry as 
many with us as possible. 

As we would plan work for the Master, and labor 
to execute tt, his undaunted courage would stimulate 
me to greater effort. I often remonstrated with him for 
what I considered his indiscretion until I became thor- 
oughly convinced that he was being directed by the 
Holy Ghost, and would lead to victory and conquest, and 
rescue perishing souls from the mighty grasp of satan and 
sin. I then ceased interposing any objections, and sought 
to influence others to the same course. 

At one time he was alarmed by the sudden death of 
quite a number of persons he had warned faithfully and 
for their last time, and so said to me, ^' I'm afraid now 
to talk to people about their soul's salvation for fear 
they will not accept Christ, and will be suddenly 
destroyed." 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 243 

About this time he was passing along the street one 

day, and heard an old man, Mr. M , an acquaintance 

of his from his boyhood, swearing fearfully at some one, 
and he approached him, and, touching him on the shoul- 
der, said: ^^ Swear not at all." The man turned on him, 
cursed and swore at him in a most blasphemous manner; 
but Miller paid no attention, and quietly walked away. 

A short time afterwards Mr. M sent for him and 

told him he wanted to apologize for his behavior to him. 
Miller told him he had not offended him, but he recalled 
the circumstances and insisted on apologizing. Miller im- 
pressed him with the importance of seeking pardon from 
God, whose law he had broken, and before leaving him 
prayed with and for him. This led to his conversion, 

and within three months Mr. M died. Many of 

Miller's friends, when they heard of his having approached 

Mr. M and rebuked him for swearing, remonstrated 

with him, and tried to impress him with the impropriety 
of his course, when one was in such a rage, and that he 
should have waited for an opportunity after it was passed. 
But Miller insisted he was led of the Spirit, and the 
sequel proved it most conclusively. 

While on a visit to Athens, Ga., some years since, he 
was passing a bar-room, and the proprietor, with a num- 
ber of other men, was standing or sitting on the street 
in front ; they stopped him and the proprietor invited 
him in; Miller replied that he would go in if he would 
let him have a prayer-meeting in there, to which they 
consented, and the proprietor said, ^^Come in, boys; Mil- 



244 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

ler's going to have a prayer-meeting inside/^ They all 
went in. Several young men were inside playing cards. 
Miller sang and prayed, read a portion of scripture, and 
gave them a talk. Turning to the young men who were 
seated at the table, playing cards, he said : ^^ Which one 
of you young men promised your mother on a deathbed 
that you would meet her in Heaven? and how are you 
living?" While he did not know this was a fact, it proved 
to be so, and one of them reformed. 

As he was about to conclude the services, he started to 
announce that there would be another meeting there the 
following day, but the barkeepe: objected, and told him 
quietly that he did not think it was a good place to hold 
such a meeting, and was glad to be rid of him. 

On one occasion he saw an old gentleman in Charles- 
ton come out of a bar-room wiping his mouth with his 
handkerchief. He went to him and looking at him said, 
" Prepare to meet thy God." The old man spoke very 
shortly to him and told him to go away and not bother 
him. Some days after the old gent met Major Willis 
and asked him w^here his brother was, and said, " That 
fellow bothers me everywhere I go. Whether on the 
street cars (he was president of the street car company) or 
attending to other business, I hear those words ringing in 
my ears, ^ Prepare to meet thy God.^ Send him to me, I 
want to see him." When he called on Mr. C. he gave 
him five dollars and told him to use it in his work, and 
any time he wanted more to come to him. 

He had a similar experience with some gamblers, who 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 245 

invited him into their rooms and offered to lend him 
money to take a hand in their game. Declining, he told 
them of his wicked life, and urged them to become Chris- 
tians. After praying with them he left. Some days af- 
ter they met the Major and requested him to send Miller 
arouud to see them. And on going they gave him twenty 
dollars to use in his work as he pleased. He told them 
that he had just been asking God to give him ten dollars 
for a special purpose, and that he wanted them to come 
"with him and see what he wanted with the money, and 
took them to a poor widow^s house, who was in distress, 
and left the money. The gamblers insisted that he 
should come to them whenever he needed any help for 
his work. 

When on his way down to my office one morning, in 
Charleston, having only fifteen cents in his pocket, the 
Spirit moved him to call at the home of a poor widow 
and leave the amount with her. But the devil said no, 
don't do that; but wait until you have more, then go 
around and give her something that will help her; this 
fifteen cents won't do any good. But being satisfied it 
was God's will he should go, he went immediately, and 
on making the object of his visit known, the poor widow 
said: ^' Well, Brother Willis, I have just been asking 
the Lord to send me fifteen cents to buy a little trim- 
ming for my daughter's hat, that she may go to Sunday- 
school to-morrow." 

Miller was always actively engaged in Christian work, 
and when he was impressed to take up any work, or 



246 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

open new enterprises for God, he might ask some one to 
help, but whether he had helpers or not, he was never 
deterred. Before leaving Augusta for Charleston, he 
established a Sunday-school in the suburbs at Harris- 
burg, near a place of resort for gamblers and men who 
fought chickens and dogs on Sundays. He had a prayer- 
meeting there during the week, and was always found at 
his post, pushing the work; so that the sporting charac- 
ters were annoyed and forced to abandon their place of 
rendezvous; but not before making an effort to break up 
his meetings. He paid no attention to them, and was 
not aware that they had violated the law by attempting 
to disturb the meetings, for which they were indicted 
and fined, and half of the amount was paid to him to 
carry on his work. St. Luke's church, Augusta, is likely 
the result of his labors in that vicinity. 

When living in Chlirleston he was impressed to go out 
on Sunday afternoons on the battery and hold a street 
meeting, as crowds generally promenaded there at that 
time. He was finally stopped by a policeman, who 
threatened to take him in if he did not desist. He said 
to him that of course he would be subject to the powers 
that be and stop if they insisted. Later he obtained per- 
mission from the mayor to hold an open air meeting, 
and determined on having it at the post office during 
the hours when mail was delivered on Sunday, about 
one o'clock. He was interrupted therfe one Sunday by 
a policeman and ordered to desist, but there were quite 
a number there who insisted that he should not be inter- 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 247 

fered with. On telling me of the circumstances, I said 
I would accompany him on the following Sunday. I 
had long been impressed that I ought to assist him in 
this work, and even felt it would be cowardly not to do 
so; yet, when attending the meeting with him the 
following Sunday, I failed to stand with him, but re- 
mained on the opposite side of the street, for which I 
was heartily ashamed, and ever after stood with him and 
assisted in the services. Sometime afterwards the Lord 
called Brother Thos. H. Leitch to help us, and although 
he came very reluctantly at first, he was faithful and 
continued the work after we left Charleston, and I be- 
lieve that work has been continued by some one ever 
since. And thus it has often been the mission of our 
dear departed brother to pioneer work for God. 

He was my constant companion when at Charleston, 
and when not otherwise engaged was in my office 
during the day. We often conferred together on matters 
of business, and I found him a wise counselor, being 
quick of perception and a good judge of human nature. 
We sized those with whom I had dealings; and in time 
of depression and doubt, as to proper course to pursue, 
we would retire to a private room and lay the matter 
before our God and ask Him to help and guide. After 
meeting with heavy losses and reverses in business, God 
opened the way for me to a new business, which I started 
in a very small way and soon found I needed capital and 
a more convenient place to manufacture in. I made a 
proposition to a neighbor and brother Methodist to join 



248 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

me and furnish the capital, which he agreed to do, and 
was to receive half the profits. He soon found it was a 
very profitable business and wanted to push me out, 
giving me only a trifle. This was a very trying time, 
for I needed money sadly and was just getting on my 
feet. We prayed much over this, and finally decided to 
stop the supply of chemicals that were being shipped to 
Charleston on my order to my partner; this accomplished, 
it would force him to my terms. A supply was needed 
to carry on the work, and it was on board a steamer^ 
then lying in dock, just arrived from New York. I 
wired to the shippers and just as the barrels were dis- 
charged from the steamer and were about to be loaded 
on to a dray (for the goods were needed badly to supply 
pressing orders in hand) the boy presented a telegram 
ordering the steamer agent to deliver the goods to me 
instead of party to whom they were shipped. This 
brought my partner to terms and settlement was agreed 
upon; Miller Willis' great tact, amounting almost to a 
charm. 

We had hoped to have him home with us more than 
he seemed to think he could be and continue in the line 
of duty; so that he had ^ not been with us for three 
years, when he returned for the last time, although he 
had intended coming at least a year before; but he 
became engaged in work and was thus prevented. How 
we all longed to have him with us, and then when he 
did get home my circumstances were such that I could 
not be there to welcome him, and was unable to be with 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 249 

him but a few days of the time. My wife, his devoted 
sister, and our dear children, were untiring in their atten- 
tions — doing all in their power for his relief and com- 
fort. During all his suffering not a murmur of com- 
plaint escaped his lips, and he was always perfectly 
resigned to God^s will, saying if God had no more active 
work for him to do, his desire was that He would take 
him home. When asked by his sister why he wanted to 
go and leave them, he replied: "Well, Vm ready now, 
but can't tell how it might be with me. later.'' 

I was notified by telegram of his extreme illness, and 
my prayer was that I might be permitted to attend him in 
his last hours and hear his last words. On reaching 
home the afternoon before his death, I found him sink- 
ing rapidly. He could not turn himself in bed, and he 
recognized my voice, and I said to him: "Trusting 
Jesus?" and he added: " Thafs alV 

It was difficult to persuade him to take any nourish- 
ment, and his sister suggested that we try to get him to 
take a little blackberry wine some friend had sent him, 
and I poured about a tablespoonful on a little cracked 
ice, but he could not be induced to take it. As he 
wanted some ice we poured the wine off and gave him a 
2)iece, but as soon as he tasted it and discovered it had 
been in the wine he spit it out. I asked him if he wanted 
me to sing for him, and he said, sing the " New Song," and 
I sjyag the one I knew in "Joy and Gladness" collection, 
and when through, he said, "Sing the other one," but I 
did not know it then. The one he wished sung was that 



250 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

in Brother Charlie Tillman's collection. ^^ Wait a Lit- 
tle While then We'll Sing the New Song.'' His brother^ 
Maj. E. Willis, came a on train an hour or so after I ar- 
rived, and finding my wife weary and worn by her con- 
stant attentions to him, we did all we could to relieve 
her but with little effect, as she was anxious to know his 
every wish and do everything possible for his comfort. 
I had succeeded in quieting her and went into Brother 
Miller's room about 6:30 a. m., and found him nearing 
the end. His limbs were cold; his eyes seemed fixed^ 
aud although open, he could not see. I knelt by his side 
and said: ^^ Trusting Jesus!" he replied, "that's all.'^ 
To which I replied, "Praise the Lord," and he said^ 
"Amen! Amen!" I then asked if he were in any pain, 
he answered, "No." "Well, praise the Lord," I said, 
and he replied, "Amen! Amen! do you hear me?" 
"Yes; are you still trusting Jesus?" "iVbw; and for- 
ever! Amen! Amen! do you hear me? do you hear me?"" 
I called to the Major to know if he heard him, and he 
did. He had been breathing wdth some effort, but now 
began to breathe at longer intervals, and I called to Ma- 
jor to come quickly, he was going, and he reached him 
in time to see him expire, and without a struggle. This 
all occurred within about five minutes, and, as he called 
back to know if I heard him, he appeared to call from a 
distance loud enough to be heard in the adjoining room. 
It seemed he had crossed over and was calling back to 
say "it was well with him — safe at Home, and to be for- 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 251 

ever with Jesus our adorable Lord." ^* Trusting Jesus 
now and forever !^^ 

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow." "His 
praise shall continually be in my mouth," for the blessed 
privilege of sweet communion and fellowship, with the 
saint of God, S. Miller Willis. 



252 Life of S. Millek Wilj.is. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



Funeral Service in Honor of Brother Miller 
Willis at St. James' Church, Augusta, Ga., 
July 16th, 4 O'clock p. m. 

" The casket was placed in the auditorium of St. James, 
Wednesday night, July 15th, by a number of ministers 
and laymen, who received it at the Augusta depot, from 
Spartanburg. Maj. Willis and Brother Adams (brother 
and brother-in-law of deceased), accompanied the remains 
from Spartanburg. Throughout the day (Thursday) many 
friends and christian brethren of Brother Willis visited the 
church to pay their respects to his remains. The Meth- 
odist pastors and Brother Rees, from Watkinsville, took 
part in the funeral service. Brother Rees read first, 
hymn No. 599; Brother Dunlap, of Asbury, offered the 
prayer; Brother Timmons, of St. Luke, read first lesson; 
Brother Wadsworth, of St. John's, read second lesson; 
the pastor of St. James delivered the sermon from I. 
Cor. xv:58; Brother Frazer, of Broad Street, read sec- 
ond hymn, 'No. 647, with refrain — 

"Home, home, sweet, sweet home." 

The audience filled the large church, and a long pro- 
cession followed the casket to the grave. There were in 
the audience and procession representatives of the different 
denominations of the city. At the grave Brother Dun- 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 253 

lap read the service^ and Brother Timmons pronounced 
the benediction. Throughout, it was an occasion of 
triumph and rapture rather than sadness and gloom. 

As I stated, in a private note to Brother C. C. Cary, 
death seemed to have been whipped away from the very 
body of the good man, so natural did the face appear, 
and the angels seemed to be caressing it. 

"Praise God from whomi all blessings flow," 
Was sung by request, just before the benediction was 
pronounced, and the good brethren and sisters kept up 
the sweet songs as long as they lingered about the grave. 

The grave was beautifully decorated with choice flow- 
ers. Brother Miller's favorite exhortation, "Have faith 
in God,'' having been woven into a wreath, and placed 
at the head of the grave. 

Large as was the attendance at the funeral service, 
many could not attend, and the following memorial ser- 
vice was arranged for the next Sunday evening: 

PROGRAMME OF MIJ.LER WILLIS' MEMORIAL SERVICE 
AT ST. JAMES, AUGUSTA, GA., JULY 19tH, 8:15 P. M., 
1891. 

First hymn, No. 407. 

Prayer — By Rev. W. A. Rodgers. 

SCRIPTURAL READINGS. 

1. By Mrs. Plank— Gen. v:24. 

2. By Mrs. Sherman — Ps. xii:l. 

3. By Brother Stubbs— P:ph. iii: 14-21. 



254 Life of S. Millee Willis. 



4. By Brother Sherman, Sr. — Matt. 



5. By Brother Lester— I. Thess. v:23. 

6. By Brother Jones — I. John iii:l-3. 

7. By Brother Parks— Matt. v:16. 

8. By Brother Baggett — John iii:16. 

9. By Pastor — ^^"This man receiveth sinners." 
10. By Eev. W. A. Eodgers — Kev. xxii:l-7. 
Second hymn, No. 411. 

1. Tribute from Mrs. W. C. Sibley, of the Presby- 
terian church — read by the pastor. 

2. Tribute from Rev. C. C. Gary — read by the pastor. 

3. Sketch of life — By Dr. Eugene Foster. 
Third hymn, No. 415. 

4. Tribute by Brother John Weigle. 

5. Tribute by Brother Josiah Miller. 
Fourth hymn, No. 356. 

6. Tribute by Brother Wm. Parks. 

7. Tribute by Prof. Shecut, of Baptist church. 

8. Tribute by Brother Adam, of Spartanburg, S. C. 
Last hymn. No. 918. 

Benediction — By Rev. W. A. Rodgers. 
(Methodist Hymn and Tune Book used). 

Trom The Augusta Chronicle : 

"As life was ebbing away,'' Mr. Adams said, "I 
leaned over him and asked, ^ Are you trusting in Jesus?' 
He replied, ^That's all.' 

"I said, ^Praise the Lord.' He answered, ^Amen.' 
" He was cold and his eyes were almost set. He could 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 255 

not see me, but he could hear my voice and understand 
me. ^Are you in pain?' I asked. ^Xo.' 

"^Praise the Lord for that/ I said, and again he an- 
swered, ^Amen.' 

"^Are you still trusting to Jesus?' 

"^Now and forever,' he replied; and then he asked: 
'Do you hear me?' 

"'Yes, praise the Lord,' I said, and with ^Amen' on 
his lips he died. It seemed to me that when he asked if 
I heard him, his spirit had already crossed over the river, 
and, standing on the shores of Paradise, he called back to 
know if I could hear his last testimony for Christ." 

REMARKS. 

Early in the evening the people began to assemble, 
and by 8:15, time appointed for service to begin, the 
large auditorium of St. James' church was filled. 

Stillness, reverence, and awe rested upon the multi- 
tude throughout the service, which lasted two hours. 

No crape was used. In its place two vases of beauti- 
ful and fragrant flowers adorned the pulpit. 

Blessings came upon us all through that service which 
we cannot outlive. 

Augusta, GaJ^ Geo. W. Yarbrough. 



256 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

From Evening News, July 16, 1891. 

MILLER WILLIS. 

His Funeral this Afternoon Down at St. James' 
Church — A Notable and Peculiar Man and 
What People Say About Him — The Pall Bear- 
ers AT His Funeral — A Memorial Service. 

Miller Willis was the best known man in Georgia 
among all classes of people. 

This is what a man who knew him well said to the 
Evening News to-day, and it is true. He has been all 
over Georgia and Carolina, and among all sorts of peo- 
ple, and he made a deep impression everywhere he was 
seen and heard. 

Everybody who read last evening about his death had 
a good word to say about Miller Willis. No man has 
been found to say aught against him. And yet in life 
he was called a crank. 

He will be buried from St. James' Church at 4 ; 30 
o'clock this afternoon. Augusta was his home, or rather 
his headquarters, and St. James was his church. He 
worshipped, however, as he worked, everywhere, and 
the good he has done is beyond calculation. He was 
never ordained a preacher, and yet he was a better 
preacher than the majority and more effective than nine- 
tenths of the preachers of the day. 

He was an evangelist ordained by his God, and he 
looked entirely to his Father, not only for guidance but 
for His care. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 257 

^^ He was the only man I ever saw who did implicitly 
and entirely trust in God/' said the same friend to-day, 
one who knew him best, perhaps, and whose home was 
Miller Willis' headquarters in this city. Continuing, he 
said : " I have often seen men who said they trusted in the 
Lord, but Miller Willis is the only one who actually did 
it all the time. He never worked for money and went 
about without it, and yet when it was needed to pay his 
way there was the money. Money seemed to turn up in 
plenty for him when it was needed, and he never both- 
ered about it. One day I asked him how he was going 
to get to Athens, his destination, when I knew he only had 
$2 in his pocket. He replied that he was going to start, 
and if the Lord did not want him to go any further than 
$2 would carry him, it was all right, but the money 
would come. And sure enough a brother, in shaking 
hands with him a little later, left the needed $3 in Mil- 
ler's hand." 

'' His trust and its unfailing supply was shown in an- 
other instance. He declared one day that he w^as going 
to Spartanburg the next morning, and I knew he had 
no money at all. ^ It will come all right,' said Mil- 
ler, who was stopping at my house, and sure enough that 
■evening a friend met me and asked me to hand a pack- 
age to Miller Willis. The friend knew nothing of the 
proposed trip and I did not think about the contents of 
the package at the time, but when Miller opened it that 
night it contained $23. That's what his faith did for 
him, and it was unfailing. That's the way he lived and 



258 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

he never knew want. He had a wealthy brother who 
was ready to aid him always and was anxious for Miller 
to live with his family in Charleston, but the evangelist 
preferred to do his Master's work in his own way.'' 

Said the same friend : ^^ People used to call Miller 
Willis a crank, and he did not care. ^ It is better so/ 
he used to say to me, ^ for if they think me a crank they 
will take all I give them, and I give them all the Lord 
sends.' But the public never made a greater mistake. 
He would hear the hard things said of him on the street, 
and would often smile as he told them to me. I never 
saw him ruf&ed in my life, and that is more than I can 
say of the preachers themselves. His life was absolutely 
pure and perfect, and he may have been peculiar, even 
cranky, in his manner, but I never enjoyed better com- 
pany than when he would come to my house. He could 
talk intelligently and entertainingly on any subject, and 
often did so, although his best loved theme was religion. 
Often he would get on the floor and play for hours with 
my children, and he enjoyed that, too. He was a man, 
every inch of him, but so earnest in his Christian and 
evangelistic life, that his persistent talking and working 
for Christ caused him to be called a crank. He called 
God his Father and trusted Him, and that is why he got 
along so w^ell. ^ My Father is rich,' he would say, ^ and 
owns the sheep on a thousand hills. Do you suppose 
He will allow His son to suffer or hunger when He owns 
so many cattle?' And this is the secret of the life of 
Miller Willis." 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 259 

the funeral this afternoon. 

The remains of Miller Willis were brought to Augusta 
from Spartanburg last night by his brother, Major Ed. 
Willis, and his brother-in-law, Mr. R. N. Adam, and the 
funeral this afternoon will be attended by a large crowd. 
The pall bearers will be from the Methodist churches of 
the city, as follows : 

From St. James Church — Messrs. Josiah Miller, Eu- 
gene Foster and F. M. Stulb. From St. John^s Church 
— Messrs. Geo. Adam and W. M. Dunbar. From As- 
bury Church — Mr. J. E. Duren. From St. Luke^s 
Church— Mr. W. O. Bohler. From Broad St. Church 
— Mr. J. H. Fearey. 

All Methodist pastors and other ministers in the city 
are invited to attend as honorary pall bearers. 

A MEMORIAL SERVICE. 

Next Sunday night a special service will be held in 
St. James^ Church in Memory of Miller Willis. 



260 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

[From Augusta Chronicle, July 16, 1891.] 

MILLER WILLIS DEAD. 



A Notable Character Dies Yesterday in Spar- 
tanburg, S. C. 



A REMARKABLE EVANGELIST. 



THE END OF A LIFE WHICH WAS UNIQUE IN ITS SINGU- 
LAR INDIVIDUALITY THE FUNERAL TO TAKE PLACE 

THIS AFTERNOON FROM ST. JAMES METHODIST CHURCH. 

When Miller Willis died yesterday in Spartanburg, S. 
C, there passed from earthly life into eternal life one of 
the most unique characters of this generation. 

He died of consumption, at the home of his sister, 
Mrs. R. M. Adam, of Spartanburg, and the news was 
received in Augusta yesterday with sadness by many 
intimate friends of the dead man. 

Miller Willis was born in Augusta about fifty years 
ago. He grew up a mischievous, fun-loving fellow, and 
was what is commonly termed '^one of the boys.'' He 
served gallantly through the war, and was the life of 
many a gathering around the camp fire. It was not 
until after this that he became connected with the church, 
and began a new life — the life which has made him nota- 
ble among men. 

Miller Willis was never an ordained minister, but he 
went about preaching the Gospel to every creature. 
Short in statue, his hair silvered, he walked constantly 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 261 

with a long stafi, such as tourists cut in climbing moun- 
tains, and was everywhere a unique and notable person- 
age. 

He was never ashamed to speak out for Christ in any 
assemblage, and he has distributed enough tracts to load 
a railroad train. He was a roving evangelist, going 
where the Spirit moved him; frequently without any 
idea when he started, where he would stop, or how long 
he would remain. He took no heed of money or ex- 
penses, but somehow the 

MONEY WAS ALWAYS FURNISHED 

from some source whenever he needed it. ^'The Lord 
will provide,^' was his answer to all questions on such 
subjects. He never lost an opportunity in any crowd, 
large or small, to say something about Christ and salva- 
tion. On entering a railroad car he would cry out to 
the passengers, ^^ Prepare to meet thy God.^' 

Frequently he would pass through the train, quoting 
passages of Scripture or making epigrammatic exhorta- 
tions. Sometimes he entered a car and took his seat 
without a word, and when all was quiet, would suddenly 
ejaculate some verse of Scripture containing a warning 
or a promise. 

A MEMORABLE INCIDENT. 

One day he chanced to be near the scene of a homi- 
cide. A crowd was gathered about the prostrate body 
of the dead man. Suddenly the patriarchal figure of an 
unknown man with a long staff appeared in their midst. 



262 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

Raising his hand aloft, he cried out to the astonished 
crowd: ^^ Prepare to meet thy God." He disappeaied, 
without another word, as suddenly as he had come 
among them, but it is safe to say no man in the crowd 
ever heard a sermon whose lesson he remembers with 
more distinctness than he does that thrilling incident. 

Most people who didn't know him called Miller Wil- 
lis a crank, but however much one might differ with his 
methods, no one who ever knew him doubted his good- 
ness of heart, his purity of life, his entire consecration to 
his work, and his sublime faith in the truth of what he 
preached. 

RECORD OF HIS CONVERSION. 

His Bible, which is filled with marginal notes, con- 
tains the following interesting entry in his owu hand- 
writing : 

S. M. Willis was born into the kingdom of God, 1864. 
He got Matthew xviii: 43 in Augusta, Ga. ; was con- 
verted, and he knew it, and I know it now, twenty-two 
years afterwards. To God be all the glory. Was sanct- 
ified like 1st Thess. 5 and 23, October 6, 1877, while 
Brother W. C. Dun lap was preaching from Ephesians 
iii: 16 to 21. 

Now, oh my Jesus, let me say. Kept by the power 
of God through faith until I go to Heaven for Jesus' 
sake. Amen. Athens, Ga., July 11, 1866. 

Read over. 30: ^^ Knows'' in Epistle of John. 

He was a great believer in tracts, and besides distrib- 



Life of S. Miller AVillis. 



263 



uting millions of them, he wrote a great many. He had 
considerable talent for putting things in striking and 
epigrammatic style. The following skeleton of a sermon 
prepared by him is a notable example of this: 

REV. MILLER WILLIs' SERMOX. 

Below we give a synopsis of a sermon prepared by 
Rev. Miller Willis: 

WHICH ROUTE WILL YOU TAKE? 



GREAT 

SALVATION RAILROAD. 

FROM 

Earth to Heaven. 

Scenery Unsurpassed. 
Via 
Mount Calvary, the River 
of Life, Paradise Garden, the 
High Rock, etc. 
Through the Valley of the 
Shadow of Death. 
By Daylight. 
To the Grand Central Depot 
of the Universe, in the City of 
Gold, without change of cars 
Express Train 
At All Hours. 
Depot: Corner Faith and 
Repentance avenues. 

All Cars First-Class. 
Fare: Thy Sins. 

NO HALF PASSES. 

"He that believeth and is 
baptized shall be saved."— 
Bible. 

Prince of Light, 
President. 



DAMNATION RAILROAD. 

QUICK ROUTE TO HELL. 

Many miles and much time 
saved by this line. 

Terrific Scenery. 

Through Dismal Swamp, 
Murderer's Gap, Hangman's 
Gorge, etc. ; reach the Valley 
of the Shadow of Death at 
midnight, plunging its pas- 
sengers into Eternal Woe. 

Main Depot : Corner Unbe- 
lief and Disobedience streets. 

J|^°Specials from Ingersoll 
Park, Dime Novel avenue. 
Theatre street, Blasphemers' 
hall, Smokers' furnace, Sam- 
ple Room square. 

Lightning train from Sui- 
cide avenue. 

Extra train on Sunday. 
This train connects at Liber ■ 
tine landing with all night 
boats to Perdition. 

Fare: Thy Soul. 

"He that believeth not shall 
be damned." — Bible. 
Prince of Darkness, 
President. 



264 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

his funeral to-day. 

His remains, accompanied by his brother, Mr. Ed. 
Willis, and brother-in-law, Mr. R. M. Adam, arrived in 
Augusta last night from Spartanburg, and were met by 
a large number of friends at the depot, whence they were 
taken to St. James church. 

From 9:30 o'clock this morning the church will be 
open, and until the hour of the funeral the friends of the 
dead evangelist may have an opportunity to take a last 
look at his familiar features. The following gentlemen 
who have been selected to act his pall-bearers are requested 
to be at the church at 4:15 o'clock this afternoon. 

From St. James church — ^Messrs. Eugene Foster, 
Josiah Miller and F. M. Stulb. 

From St. John's church — Messrs. George Adam and 
W. M. Dunbar. 

From Asbury church — Mr. J. E. Duren. 

From St. Luke's church— Mr. W. O. Bohler. 

From Broad Street church — Mr. J. H. Fearey. 

All Methodist pastors and other minister in the city 
are invited to attend as honorary pall-bearers. 

MEMORIAL SERVICES. 

On next Sunday night, by request of the official board 
of St. James church, special memorial services will be 
held in honor of the late Rev. Miller Willis, in which 
the pastor and various lay members will take part. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 265 

MILLER WILLIS^ BURIAL. 

Beautiful Words by Rev. Mr. Yarbrough — The 
Throngs at the Memorial Services and at the 
Grave. 

The memorial and funeral services over (and of) the 
remains of the late Miller Willis yesterday afternoon, at 
St. James^ church, were impressive, imposing, touching. 

St. James' is one of the largest churches in the South. 
Its commodious auditorium was filled with people. 

A more thoroughly representative assembly of the 
people of Augusta could not be secured. 

People of all classes, of all denominations, believers 
and non-believers, Hebrews and Gentiles, were there — 
for, than Miller Willis, there were but few better known 
men to the people of Augusta. 

Ministers from a distance were present and many non- 
residents, lay admirers of the deceased were present at 
the services. 

The tributes to the memory of the deceased were elo- 
quent and from the heart. The funeral \vas one of the 
largest that has been seen in Augusta for years. In 
death. Miller Willis proved that he had many a friend 
in life. 

THE EXERCISES. 

The memorial exercises were begun at 4:30 o'clock 
by the reading of an appropriate hymn by Rev. Dr. 
Rees, pastor of the Methodist church of Watkinsville, 
Ga., which was followed by an earnest prayer by Rev. 



266 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

W. C. Dunlap of Asbury church. This was followed 
by the reading of the 91st Psalm by Rev. B. E. L. Tim- 
mons of St. Luke's, and the reading of Scripture by Rev. 
W. W. Wadsworth of St. John's church, the 15th chap- 
ter of 1st Corinthians. The sermon by Rev. Mr. Yar- 
brough was a touching one. His eulogium of the de- 
ceased seemed inspired. There are few more powerful 
preachers than tliis eloquent gentleman. Seldom has he 
been more thoroughly imbued with interest in his sub- 
ject than on yesterday afternoon. He knew Miller 
Willis and loved him. He spoke of the deceased as he 
thought of him. The result was a discourse of beauti- 
fully spoken words that touched all within sound of his 
voice. 

His text was the last verse of the loth chapter of 1st 
Corinthians. He stood, he said, in the presence of the 
mortal remains of a man who had given his whole life 
to the work of God; of saving souls; one who died leav- 
ing behind him only his Bible and his walking staff, 
showing that he had risen above the desire for money 
and had absolutely trampled worldly things under foot. 

Some men, in making up an estimate of Miller Willis, 
had decided him a fanatic. There never was a greater 
mistake. The deceased was preeminently a man of prac- 
tical common sense. If any doubted this, let him or 
her read the Bible which this saintly man had left be- 
hind him, and let him or her note the comments made 
therein by marginal notes. 

If there were no hereafter; if Paganism were true; if 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 267 

there were no heaven or hell, then Miller Willis had 
been a fool to consecrate himself to the service of God. 
But if there were, and that was demonstrated by the text 
and by the teachings of St. Paul, then Miller Willis was 
a profound philosopher. 

The speaker said he had gone into his study to en- 
deavor to prepare a sermon to preach over the remains 
of the deceased. But somebody had handed him Miller 
Willis' Bible. He read it and noticed the marginal 
comments and became absolutely lost, so far as any sys- 
tematic preparation of a sermon was concerned. This 
Bible was his inspiration; that is, the man and his life as 
depicted in these comments gave him his text. 

TO THE GRAVe. 

After the sermon Rev. Mr. Frazier, of the Broad 
Street Methodist church, read, and the choir sang, ^'I 
would not live always," the congregation joining in the 
singing. 

At the grave, the burial services were conducted by 
the pastor of Asbury church, assisted by the pastor of 
St. Luke. 

After the grave was closed, the throng gathered about 
it and united in singing one stanza of "Sweet By-and-by.^' 

The grave was lavishly covered with beautiful and 
appropriate floral offerings. Resting on a large pillow 
of elegant flowers was the inscription which was the 
watchword of the deceased during his life, ''Have Faith 
in God.'' 



268 Life of S. Miller Willis. 



CHAPTER XXiy. 



Articles from Various Newspapers, Christiajt 
AND Secular, on the Life and Death of 
Miller Willis. 

BROTHER MILLER WILLIS. 

A beautiful casket, containing the body of Brother 
Miller Willis, reached the depot in Augusta from Spar- 
tanburg, S. C, last Wednesday evening, was met by a 
number of ministers and laymen, and was carried by 
them to St. James^ church to await the funeral service 
on the following afternoon. 

Our city felt honored in having his precious remains 
entrusted to her, and with motherly tenderness and affec- 
tion laid them away to rest until the resurrection morn- 
ing. The casket was lowered into the grave amid the 
perfume of flowers, and the sobs and songs of many 
whom he had led to Christ and cheered on the way to 
Heaven. 

That afternoon hour at his grave will not be forgotten 
soon. It was an hour of holy rapture of Christian 
triumph. After Brother Dunlap and Brother Timmons 
had read the service and pronounced the benediction, 
some one asked that the doxofogy, "Praise God from 
whom all blessings flow,^^ be sung, and while the grave 
was being filled, other sweet songs were sung, and a 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 269 

number of Brother Willis' favorite exhortations were 
repeated. Having lived and labored like no other man, 
it was not surprising or inappropriate that he was buried 
like no other man. 

We lingered there with overflowing hearts, and were 
sorry we had to leave. Personally, my heart received 
one of those dispensations of the Spirit "which passeth 
knowledge. '' 

Like his Master, Brother Willis died poor. He was a 
follower of Him who was born in another man's manger, 
who was more homeless than the birds of the air, and 
the foxes that made their holes in the earth, while He 
lived, and was buried in another man's tomb when He 
died. 

His Bible, and that long walking-staff on which his 
frail body leaned along his missions of love, were all he 
left. Next to keeping himself free from sin, it seemed 
to be his fixed purpose to let no money, beyond his strict 
necessities, stick to him. 

His brother told me at his grave, that two gamblers 
in Charleston had told him to call on them whenever 
Miller Willis needed money. Many a pocket stood 
ready always to honor his draft. He could not be 
bribed; money could not do it; flattery could not do it; 
friendship could not do it. He knew no man "after 
the flesh." The best friend or benefactor he had on 
earth would hear his warnings, or feel his reproofs if 
they were needed. 



270 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

Many said he was beside himself at times. Well, he 
was. But whenever he was beside himself, it was ^^unto 
God/' and for this he had apostolic precedent. Others 
said he was a fanatic. I must give it as my belief, that 
Heaven could be easily organized on earth, and that the 
angels would be willing to come here and live, if all its 
inhabitants could take on the form of fanaticism that 
made radiant the life of our translated brother. 

I spent the largest part of a day looking through his 
Bible. It had been rebound, and every other leaf was a 
blank that had been inserted by the binders, according 
to his directions, for notes, comments, and records of 
revivals and sermons, and different stages of personal ex- 
perience. He took the Bible as a whole, and as he 
found it. Where human philosophy had mired down, 
Miller had shouted along on solid ground, possibly utter- 
ing a sigh as he passed its bones bleaching by the way- 
side. ''Have faith in God,'' a favorite quotation, was 
woven into a beautiful wreath of flowers, and is now on 
his grave. Examine his Bible before you pronounce on 
the order of his mind. 

He was lost in Christ. 

I turned to the ''Family Record" in his Bible. Here 
is all I found: 

"S. M. Willis w^as born into the Kingdom of God 
1864. He got Matt, xviii and 3d, in Augusta, Ga., and 
he knew it, and knows it now twenty-two years after- 
ward. To God be all the glory! 

"Was sanctified like I. Thess. 5th and 23d, Oct. 6th, 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 271 

1877, while Brother Dunlap was preaching from Eph. 
3d ch. and 16th to 21st verses. 

^^Now, O my Jesus, let me say, kept by the power of 
God, through faith until I get to Heaven, for Jesus' 
sake. Amen. Athens, Ga., July 11th, 1886. 

^'Read over 30 Knows in Epistle of John.'' 

I expected more than this in this record; but, really 
it contains everything worth recording, and «he thing 
that will outlive all other tests of a true life. This 
can lose nothing from the fires of the last day. It is 
the unfading and imperishable court-dress of Heaven, 
"Enoch walked with God." This was enough to justify 
the other part of the record, "and was not, for God 
took him." 

He was a gallant soldier through the late war. I 
never heard him allude to it; saw no mention of it in 
his Bible. He seems to have had no existence until 
Christ found him and converted him, and from that 
time on his life was "hid with Christ in God." He 
came nearer doing all his talking in the language of the 
Bible than any man I ever saw. This was true before a 
congregation, and among his brethren and friends in 
social life, on meeting and in parting, on the streets and 
on the highways. He was a refined gentleman — neat in 
his dress, courteous in his demeanor, clean in his speech. 
Yes, yes. Who can recall an obscene expression or a 
vulgarism that ever polluted his lips since the dates of 
his conversion and sanctification ? He professed sancti- 
fication. He records the time, the name of the preacher, 



272 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

the text; and let my tongue cleave to the roof of my 
mouth ere I seek to uproot that luminous mile-post 
planted by the Holy Ghost in this pilgrim's journey. 

I came upon the words of the chief butler, in his 
Bible: "I remember my faults this day!'' Eight under 
it, Brother Willis asks, ^'Do I remember mine?" Then 
follow a number of dark spots that seemed to stand for 
what was-on his mind. In Job I came upon the words, 
^^I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." Brother 
Willis writes right under it, '^So do I." 

In his correspondence he wrote, *^Less than the least," 
before signing his name. Where is boasting then? It 
is excluded. 

That Bible is a treasure. Happy he to whom it falls 
as an inheritance. It will be an heirloom among his 
brethren for generations to come. Many a pilgrim, 
bending in the direction he went, and straining his vis- 
ion to catch the spires of the Eternal City, will be helped 
forward by the blazes cut by this man of God. 

In Augusta his name is odorous, like a vase of fresh 
flowers. In Heaven his kinship to the Elder Brother 
and Saviour has been owned, and Brother Miller Willis 
is at home. Geo. W. Yaebrough. 



THE NAME OF MILLER WILLIS. 

There is no name of any man, living or dead, spoken 
to-day in the city of Augusta so often as that of Miller 
Willis. His praise as a holy man is on the tongue of 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 273 

all who knew him, and he was universally known here, 
especially by the older citizens. He was born and 
brought up here. His funeral yesterday was the highest 
attestation to his worth as a religious man. He abso- 
lutely had nothing else to commend himself to the es- 
teem of the people except his Christianity, for, as the 
preacher declared, he left nothing of this world^s goods 
except his Bible and the staff he leaned upon when he 
walked. And yet, as the same preacher declared, return- 
ing from the cemetery, no other man could have called 
together such a thoroughly representative congregation by 
his death as attended the funeral of Miller Willis. There 
were representatives from every walk of life. The mer- 
chant, the lawyer, the mechanic, the every-day laborer, 
was largely represented. As has been announced, he 
fell on sleep at the home of his brother-in-law, Mr. Robt. 
M. Adam, in Spartanburg, S. C, on the morning of July 
15th, 1891, about seven a. m. It was in perfect har- 
mony with a life wholly given to God for the last twen- 
ty-five years that the last audible words se^t back by 
him as his feet touched the Heavenly shore, ^'Trusting 
Jesus now and forever. Amen.^' And then, as if spe- 
cial favor was bestowed upon him to speak, even after 
life was gone out of the body, he called back to Brother 
Adam, '^Do you hear? Trusting Jesus now and forever. 
Amen." Who that knew him can doubt for one mo- 
ment that the first words that broke upon angelic ears 
was, '^Trusting Jusus now and forever. Amen." 

The funeral sermon was preached by Rev. George W. 

18 



274 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

Yarbrough, pastor of St. James, the church where he has 
had his membership, with only a short interval at one 
time, ever since he first joined the church. It was re- 
garded by all as a very appropriate sermon, and the text, 
which was the last verse of the 15th chapter of 1st Cor- 
inthians, was powerfully enforced and illustrated by the 
life of Miller Willis. Brother Yarbrough said he had 
gone into his study in the morning to prepare a sermon, 
but some one had handed him Brother Willis^ Bible the 
night before. He began reading the notes and com- 
ments, and soon became so absorbed that he forgot all 
about any effort to prepare a systematic sermon. He 
remarked to Brother Timmons and the writer on our 
way back from the grave that he had never spent such a 
day in his life, and that he felt like praising God at the 
top of his voice. As before remarked, the funeral was 
very largely attended. I heard one person remark that 
there were at least fifty carriages in the procession. Only 
think of the man who in life always signed himself to all 
his letters, "yours less than the least,^^ with such a vast 
concourse of people following him to the grave. Surely 
it is in fulfillment even here on earth of the Divine word, 
" He that humbleth himself shall be exalted." This man 
of God, like his Divine Lord, first graduated in the low- 
est degree, and then went up to the highest. Some peo- 
ple during his life, that did not know him, had an idea 
that he professed to be an angel. Those of us that did 
know him, knew that he had the most abasing estimate 
of himself. I never knew any man who had a greater 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 275 

fear of the possibility of sinning. But his watchword 
at all times was, "Have Faith in God.^^ It was fitting, 
therefore, that these words should stand out conspicu- 
ously over the head of his grave: "Have Faith in God.'' 
But how shall we draw the true picture of this holy man. 
He was the soul of honor. He was a very Chesterfield 
in his politeness toward women. And while he never 
let an opportunity escape him to speak to them about 
their souls, he always raised his hat while he did it. I 
have had him in my house for weeks, and while he en- 
joyed the freedom of a member of my own family he 
never forgot his native and Christian politeness. I could 
write a whole volume of incidents showing that he was a 
man of one thought and work. 

Brother Yarbrough in looking through his Bible was 
particularly struck with the fact that, while it is full of 
facts and incidents (it is interleaved with blank leaves) 
there is not one item about himself or any one else ex- 
cept of a purely religious nature. On the blank leaf for 
family records this is the entry, "S. M. Willis was born 
into the kingdom of God, 1864; he got Matthew xviii: 
3, in Augusta, Ga. — was converted, and he knew it, and 
he knows it now twenty-two years afterwards. To God 
be all the glory. W^as sanctified like I. Thes. v:23, 
October 6th, 1877, while Brother W. C. Dunlap was 
preaching from Eph. iii: 14-21. Now oh, my Jesus let 
me say, kept by the power of God through faith, until I 
get to heaven, for Jesus' sake. Amen. 

I failed to say in the right place, that all the pastors 



276 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

(Methodist) of the city — including Dr. Eees, of Wat- 
kin sville, participated in the funeral services in some 
way. 

Shall we ever see his like again? A prominent Pres- 
byterian said to me to-day, "He was the best man I 
ever knew;'' said he, "Many ministers will die and be 
forgotten, but his name and influence will live on for 
good to souls forever. 

I feel for one, that there is a new tie to draw me on 
to heaven, and I expect, by grace, to meet him there. — 
W. C. Dunlap, in Way of Life. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 277 



CHAPTER XXV. 



MILLER WILLIS. 

Way of Life. 

Let me write a few words about my old spiritual 
father. The name of Miller Willis will always have a 
warm place in my heart. It's beyond my comprehen- 
sion to fathom the love that I possessed in my heart for 
him. When Brother Adam told me that Miller was 
gone, my heart cried out : " Farewell, thou man of God, 
thou art gone, but not forgotten. '^ '' Blessed are the 
dead who die in the Lord." No man need to write his 
past biography to let the world know his w^orth ; his 
works will follow him. 

I remember ^vhen I was eight years old, one night he 
and Brother Dunlap took tea at a neighbor's house. I 
went over to see him, and O, well do I remember his 
taking me up in his lap, laying his hand on my head, say- 
ing, '^ One of these days little Jimmie will preach the 
Gospel.'' I have never forgotten those words. Ten 
years had passed by ; I had not seen Miller in that time 
and he had never seen me. Two years ago w^hile con- 
ducting a religious meeting in Athens, Ga., with a cer- 
tain religious movement, one night I heard a man hollow 
out while I was reading the Bible, ^^ Praise the Lord," 
I knew it was Miller Willis. While I continued read- 
ing, Miller jumped up and shouted out: "Glory to God, 



278 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

there is my little Jimmie preaching the Gospel, whom I 
have Dot seen before in ten years, but I knew the Lord 
would answer my prayer/' 

To-day I am pastor of one of the Baptist churches 
and Missionary of the Fairfield Association. I know 
to-day that this is all a fulfillment of Miller Willis' 
prophecy. '' Trusting Jesus, that is all,'' were his last 
words, and then passed into eternity the grandest man 
in the history of the Methodist Church. As I read an 
account of his funeral, I was lead to inquire, ^^ was this 
man the son of an emperor, of the king that wore the 
crown ?" He was not, uiy friends. But he is now en- 
joying the immortality of the soul, and is a heavenly 
prince in the glory world. The grave holds all that is 
left of him, the grand, noble, well pleased servant of 
God. Now that soul that loved, that mind that taught 
and has impressed itself upon the world, must come 
back, for if thoughts live, will that precious thought 
cease ? '^ In reason he speaks and in example he livesJ^ 
Such was said of Garfield and can be said of Miller 
Willis. His thoughts and mighty deeds still flourish in 
structure. There was a man in Bible history that killed 
more in his death than in life, and I believe that to be 
true with Miller Willis. Our loss is his gain. The 
sufferings of his life were as fruitful of blessings as the 
toils ; Christ was all his theme. He has been, from my 
first acquaintance with him, an uncommonly spiritual 
Christian, exhibiting the richest graces of a Godly life» 
Every subject on which he conversed, every book he 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 279 

read, had a tendency to suggest some peculiarly spiritual 
train of thought till it seemed to me, as I have said, 
Christ was all his theme. If he was a crank he has 
gone to the great asylum above where there is a good 
keeper. He was a man no doubt, who had sorrows at 
times, but his joys outnumbered his sorrows. He is 
gone ! It is all as God would have it, and our duty is 
but to bend meekly to His will, and wait, in faith and in 
patience, till we also shall be summoned home. Life^s 
race well run, life's work well done, life's crown well 
won. Now comes rest. May a double portion of his 
heavenly spirit fall upon us. 

J AS. W. Kramer, 
Pastor Red Bank Baptist Church, 

Columbia, S. C. 



RECOLLECTIONS OF MILLER WILLIS. 

Way of Life. 

I am truly glad that the Rev. W. C. Dunlap has 
"taken in hand to draw up a narrative'' (Luke i: 1, 
New Version) of the ways and works of that earnest and 
devout man of God, the late Miller Willis. I knew 
Brother Willis quite w^ell, when I was editor of the 
Southern Christian Advocate in Charleston, S. C, from 
1878 to 1886. He was living at that time in Charles- 
ton, and we frequently met in the services of Trinity 
Church and elsewhere. I never heard him say a word 
on any other subject than religion ; and it was generally 



280 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

his personal experience of religion. He was beyond any 
man I have ever known, " a man of one book '' — homo 
unius libri, as Mr. Wesley pedantically calls it. And 
he was just as distinctly "a man of one work" — This 
ONE THING I DO. — (Phil, iii : 13). 

There is an old Latin proverb, ^^ I will find a way or 
make one." So it was with dear Miller. If an oppor- 
tunity occurred to work for the Master he would use it. 
If no opportunity occurred, be would make one. He 
was iustant in season and out of season. (Italics mine). 

He was one of my best friends. Of this he gave me 
palpable evidence now and again. Let me give an in- 
stance. I was spending the summer with my family on 
Sullivan's Island. I was pastor of a Union church over 
there and would sometimes exchange pulpits with the 
city clergy. I had preached one Sunday morning at the 
First Baptist Church and was hurrying to catch the 
Island boat (1 p. m.) I met Miller near the market. 
" How d'ye do ? How d'ye do ? Excuse me, I'm in a 
hurry, I want to catch the boat." " Let the boat alone, 
and remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy !" thun- 
dered out my friend, who wouldn't suffer what he con- 
sidered a sin in his brother, without a faithful and manly 
rebuke. ' Samuel A. Weber. 

Aiken, S. C. 



• Life of S. Miller Willis. 281 

S. MILLER WILLIS. 

I am glad to hear that we are to have a biography of 
Brother S. Miller Willis. If anything of the man can 
be transferred to the book — if it can be made to breathe 
out the meek, gentle, trustful, faithful spirit which filled 
him, and in which he lived, moved and had his being 
every moment of his active, earnest, happy life, after he 
received the baptism of fire, it will doubtless do much 
good. 

He came to my charge. King's Ferry and Hilliard, 
during the fall of 1889, in company with Brother R. O. 
Smith, to assist me in revival services. I felt the force 
of his pure, consecrated life when first we met. He 
seemed to me like a fully equipped warrior fairly pant- 
ing for the conflict with sin, and from his first arrival 
until the day of his departure, during several eventful 
weeks, in high places and in low places, and among the 
most hardened roughs of those milling towns, he waged 
a constant, untiring and unflinching warfare. His sin- 
cerity could not be doubted by the most skeptical. This, 
together wish his great hiimility and sweetness of spirit, 
was his protection among the most abandoned characters.* 
His faith was Jacob-like — as a prince he prevailed with 
God in prayer, more especially in private prayer, and 
thus honoring God in secret, he was rewarded openly 
with indomitable energy and courage, and with power to 
prevail with the most hardened sinners. He sowed 
down both communities with the most pungent tracts. 



282 ~ Life of S. Miller Willis. 

varied and judiciously presented, to suit the conditions 
of those with whom he labored. 

His pointed questions put to those with whom he met, 
often produced the deepest convictions for sin and neg- 
lect of duty. His most usual question on meeting a 
stranger was not if he or she were members of a church, 
but if they w^ere regenerated or born of the spirit, or had 
passed from death unto life. 

While with us, he w^ent into one house, the occupant 
of which was a member of a church, and asked the priv- 
ilege of praying with them, and was refused, with the 
statement that they did not have the time; but instead 
of being discouraged he proceeded to administer a telling 
rebuke. Oh! if we had more saints who could and 
would rebuke sin, in high and low^, rich and poor, regard- 
less of relationships, in the spirit of meekness, wicked- 
ness would then lose its respectability. 

He had no use for superficial work in revivals, but 
urged penitents to seek until they received a clear con- 
sciousness of salvation, through the witness of God^s 
Spirit with their spirits that they were His children. 

He ran down to Jacksonville on the morning train 
while with us, and spent the day in visiting the haunts 
of wickedness, and especially the whiskey saloons, and 
distributed tracts, and warned them of the judgment to 
come. He remarked on returning to us from his disa- 
greeable day^s work, that Jacksonville, Florida, was a 
much better place in his estimation than Charleston, S. 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 283 

C, for he said if he had done the same thing in the lat- 
ter place, he would have received several cursings. 

Brother A. O. MacDonell, General Passenger Agent 
of the F. C. & P. Railroad system, our Methodist rail- 
road prince and friend of Methodist preachers, at my 
request, kindly sent Brother Willis a half fare permit 
over all branches of their system, and then the dear, 
sweet-spirited saint bid us an affectionate farewell, and 
started southward to labor in Manatu village on the 
Manatu river, where, from all accounts, he made a last- 
ing impression, and had many conversions and sanctifi- 
cations as seeds to his labors. 

From this place I think he returned homeward to 
appear no more among us. I consider it one of the 
greatest privileges of my life to have met him and to 
have been associated with him even for a short while, in 
our Lord's delightful employ. 

Heaven is sweeter in anticipation by the emigration 
thither of dear Brother Miller Willis, for he is only 
gone before to await the oncoming of the vast host with, 
and for whom he labored. 

"Servant of God, well done, 
Rest from thy loved employ." 

Your Brother, Robert M. Evans. 

Key Largo, Fla. 



284 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

From Way of Life. 

The Text and Sermon Under which Miller Wil- 
lis WAS Wholly Sanctified. 



BY rev. W. C. DUNLAP. 



Ephesians iii : 14-21. 

" For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in 
heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, 
according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened 
with might by His Spirit in the inner man. That Christ 
may dwell in your hearts by faith ; that ye being rooted 
and grounded in love,* may be able to comprehend with 
all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, 
and height ; and to know the love of Christ, which pass- 
eth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the full- 
ness of God. Now, unto Him that is able to do exceed- 
ing abundantly above all that we ask or think, accord- 
ing to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory 
in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world 
without end. Amen.'' 

The fifteenth verse is a parenthesis. Why ? Because 
the passage makes perfect sense without it — read it over 
and see. 

Paul was in prison. This is more than a prayer "that 
ye (they) faint not at my (his) tribulations for you, 
(them) which is >our (their) glory.'' Thirteenth verse. 
If they get what this prayer includes, they will not only 
get where they will not "faint" at his tribulations," but 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 285 

also their own. In short, this is a prayer embracing all 
the successional steps leading up to and culminating in 
their entire sanctification. The greater includes the 
lesser. To get them wholly sanctified was the divine 
way to head oQ spiritual ^^fainting." As it was then, so 
it is now. Can we follow Paul in this wonderful prayer? 
Only by the Spirit's help. We have a succession of 
climaxes, all so interblended as to make a perfect chain. 
They mark by gradation the steps of a child of God from 
conversion to entire sanctification. " For this cause I 
bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
that He would grant you to be strengthened — strength- 
ened in the inner man — with might in the inner man — 
strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner 
man — that he would grant you to be strengthened with 
might by His Spirit in the inner man according to his 
glory — according to the riches of His glory.'' 

All this to one end : " That Christ may dwell in your 
hearts by faith." This also to a single end : " That ye 
being rooted and grounded in love ;" and this for a 
single purpose : " May be able to comprehend with all 
saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and 
height." Further : " And to know the love of Christ 
that passeth knowledge." And all this to one great 
consummation : ^' That ye might be filled with all the 
fullness of God." Then as if in offering the prayer for 
others he had reached the glorious acme of divine 
" fullness " himself, he breaks out in one of those grandly 
inspired doxologies. ^^Now unto Him that is able to do 



286 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

for us all that we ask ; now unto Him that is able to do 
for us above all that we ask ; now unto Him that is able 
to do for us abundantly above all that we ask ; now unto 
Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all 
that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh 
in us. To Him be glory in the church throughout all 
ages, world without end. Amen.'' 

When the preacher got to the twentieth verse, Miller 
Willis was seen suddenly to drop on his knees, but as 
this was nothing unusual, it was not thought strange of, 
until directly he rose to his feet exclaiming at the top of 
his voice, ^' I've got it; I've got it!" ^' Got what? 
Brother Miller," asked the preacher. "Got what .1 lost 
down at the Richmond camp-meeting," he replied. "And 
what's that?" again asked the preacher. "I've got 
sanctification, glory to God ! and I defy men or devils 
to take it aw^ay from me this time." In telling his ex- 
perience afterwards he said, " I first felt if God could do 
all that Paul said He could do in the twentieth verse, 
then He was certainly able to sanctify a little fellow^ like 
me." It is proper to remark that he had obtained the 
experience a few weeks before under the preaching of 
the sainted B. F. Farris ; but Brother Farris began to 
put questions to him which, as he said, caused him to 
take his eyes off of Jesus, and lo ! when he looked for 
the blessing it was gone. From then until he re-obtained 
the experience he was indeed almost like a crazy man. 

Oh, that God would so wake up all who once had but 
have since lost the experience, that, like Miller Willis, 
hey'd never stop until they got it back. 



Life of S. Miller AVillis. 287 



CHAPTER XXVI. 



His Last Days. 

I need not enlarge on the incidents of his going up to his 
Heavenly home, since this has been done by an eye wit- 
ness of his departure. A triumphant close of such a life 
as he lived was the natural expectation of all who knew 
him. He himself, while living, delighted to refer and 
dwell upon such scenes. He gave great emphasis to Mr. 
Wesley^s testimony to the early Methodists: "Our peo- 
ple die well." One instance I have heard him often men- 
tion. A brother Lawrence up North; he was a bright 
light in the experience of entire sanctification, but he 
fell a victim to consumption early in life. He was a 
pastor in the M. E. Church, and greatly beloved by his 
people. They clung to him with the tenacity of an un- 
dying love; but the end came. With a number of his 
congregation gathered around him, he said, "Raise me 
up." They raised him up in his bed. With a heavenly 
glow upon his face, the dying minister raised his hand 
and eye upward and said, " Go tell them ! Go tell them ! 
I^m going up with the great procession, and to meet me 
there" — he was gone. With what a thrill upon his hear- 
ers have I heard him describe this victorious death. 
They never met on earth, but they are together in glory. 

We are on a question of no minor importance. There 



288 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

is danger in the oft-repeated remark of these days: 
" Show me how a man lived, and its a matter of no con- 
sequence how he dies." If we live right w^e shall die 
right; all are agreed on that. But dying testimony is 
of vital importance to the world. Jesus Himself left His 
dying testimony: ^'Father forgive them; they know 
not what they do. Father into thy hands I commend 
my spirit." The Devil has brought the Christ-like pro- 
fession of medicine under contribution to his satanic 
uses, as he will every blessing, if he can, so that dying 
people are drugged now into a state of insensibility. He 
has two purposes in this. First, he does not want the 
testimony of God's saints as they leave the world. Sec- 
ond, he is afraid to risk the honest confession of his own 
servants. It is a significant fact that when Miller Wil- 
lis came to his last moments he rejected all earthly pal- 
liatives or stimulants. He died in the unclouded light 
of the Son of Righteousness. His excessive labors; his 
constant fastings, and, in some senses, his care of all the 
churches (oh, how he loved the church of God, and 
that branch especially to which he belonged) gradually 
but surely sapped the foundation of his not very robust 
constitution. Hemorrhage supervened; not frequent at 
first, but violent enough to alarm his friends. Strong 
efforts were made to slow him down in his work, but 
this was only temporary relief; besides the very breth- 
ren who were so solicitous for his life, were ofttimes the 
ones ^vho most delighted to have him as their helper; 
and there was this feeling: ^^Well, Miller Willis be- 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 289 

longs to God and He will take care of him/' True, 
but God's normal method of taking care of people 
physically, as well as spiritually, is according to His laws. 

Brother Willis was not a stalwart in his physical man. 
He was of delicate mould. Very few men would have 
lasted as long as he did, making the same time in every- 
thing they undertook. ^^The King's business requiretii 
haste," was the principle upon which he acted. As he 
was a man of "one book," so he was, for the last twenty 
years of his life, a man of one work. No itinerant 
Methodist preacher is more constantly engaged in the 
Master's work than was he. He spent two winters in 
Florida, ostensibly for his health, but even there he was 
in labors more abundant. He was there when he saw 
the end was near. He returned to his beloved Augusta, 
from where, after resting a week or so at the house of 
his very dear friends. Brother and Sister Josiah Miller, 
he went on to the home of his darling sister, Mrs. Rob- 
ert M. Adam, Spartanburg, S. C., where he breathed his 
last. 

Sam Jones once remarked, in preaching before the 
North Georgia Conference, that he would like to preach 
the funeral of some preacher who killed himself working 
for God and souls; he thought the angels would compose 
his congregation. This man was not a preacher after 
man's estimate or authority, but in the divinest sense 
he was a New Testament preacher. I believe Mil- 
ler Willis gave his life for the salvation of souls. He 

19 



290 Life of S. MillerJ Willis. 

died a martyr as truly as any of those who went to the 
stake. 

Do not misunderstand me. He never spared himself 
so long as he was able to go. He fasted oftener and 
longer than any man I ever knew. He prayed more 
than once all night long. I have known him to work 
until he literally dropped in his tracks. He had a way 
of kneeling that indicated the man^s humility. He never 
knelt except with his face in his hands, and his hands 
on the floor or ground. I have seen him in such agony 
of soul that great drops of sweat would break out all 
over his face, and no doubt from his whole body. I 
have actually trembled with apprehension for the result 
to his lungs. I may be mistaken, but I verily believe 
his hemorrhages were brought on in this way. I looked 
for them long before they came. His first hemorrhage 
that I knew of took place in Gainesville, Ga. 

During the first few years of my acquaintance with 
him he was an intense sufferer from his spine, reaching 
up into the back of his head. He also suffered greatly 
at times with neuralgia. A very painhil and even ludi- 
crous incident occurred once in my attempt to ^' treat 
him^^ for spinal trouble. I say ludicrous, for, although 
it involved great suffering, I could not help laughing 
after Miller got better. In my ignorance I actually sat- 
urated the poor fellow's neck and back part of his head 
with croton oil. The result was a blister nearly six 
inches long, that made a sore for days, so that he could 
not turn his head. They say "what won't kill will 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 291 

cure/' and I do believe it did him great good, for I never 
h£ard him complain like he did before. 

His hemorrhages become more and more frequent, 
until at length it became evident to his brethren he could 
not hold up much longer, unless they could be stopped. 
One thing that has always made me believe his hemor- 
rhages were the result of excessive labor, and not from 
consumption of the ordinary sort, was because he never 
had any bad cough or expectorated as a consumptive 
doe^. His friends did all in their power to stop him, 
but, like his Divine Lord, the zeal of his Lord's house 
had eaten him up. 

The w^ay opened for him to go down into South Geor- 
gia, and then on in to Florida. As he went he was 
instant in season and out of season, always abounding in 
the work of the Lord. He was thrown with Rev. R. O. 
Smith, a local preacher and evangelist; in him he found 
a true fellow- worker. Together they labored for at least 
two winters in Florida. God wonderfully blessed their 
labors in converting sinners and in sanctifying believers. 
Brother Willis had many homes; this fact we have 
alluded to in another connection. We mention it here 
only to say that the words of our Divine Lord were lit- 
erally fulfilled in his case — he forsook houses and lands 
and all else besides of an earthly character, and in return 
he had fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters in 
abundance, with persecutions. Among the "homes" he 
had, none were more lovingly tendered him, nor was he 
more joyfully welcomed or tenderly cared for than at 



292 Life of S. Miller Willis. 

Brother Lett's, in South Georgia. Being a^man 

blessed with means, and himself and wife wholly conse- 
crated to God, Miller never lacked for ^^any good thing," 
if these loving friends could reach him. 

The time was at hand for him to exchange an earthly 
for the heavenly home. These kind friends, with many 
others, would have had him stay down here if they 
could — not in opposition to, but in harmony with, the 
Father's will. 

The writer, together with many others, called or^ him 
for the last time as he passed through Augusta. Never 
can I forget the room where we knelt and prayed to- 
gether at Brother Joe Miller's, or the ^^ Good-bye," and 
the old time embrace, and the whispered — on account of 
weakness — "God bless you — we'll meet up yonder." 
The next time I saw him he was "asleep in Jesus," not 
dead, oh no, for "death hath no more dominion oyer 
him ;" he is only asleep. Lying there in that" beautiful 
casket, it looked like he ought to open his eyes, or, 
more natural and like in life, cry out to those who gath- 
ered about him for a last look, " Who's converted ?" and 
" Who knows if they were to drop dead this moment 
they'd go straight to heaven ?" 

And thus ends bur story, imperfectly told; alas, no 
one is so conscious of it as he who has tried to tell it. 
But we lay it upon the altar on which Miller Willis 
rested his all for both worlds, even upon Him who said 
" the altar sanctifieth the gift ;" and our prayer and faith 



Life of S. Miller Willis. 293 

is, that He will continue to bless, through this affection- 
ate and sincere, though humble effort, the life and labors 
of our sainted and glorified Miller Willis. '^ Amen, and 
Hallelujah!" 

finis. 



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